The BlackJack (or i600N series as we found under the battery) is the first 3G PDA-phone we've seen from Samsung, successor to the GSM-only i320N from last year. We got to play with a BlackJack on the Cingular network at CES 2007 in Las Vegas earlier this year, but in Australia it will be on the Optus, Vodafone and Telstra (Next G) networks, with slight variations and customisations across the range.
Design
Compared to PDA-phones such as the extra-large Dopod 808 Pro, the BlackJack weighs in relatively lightly at 105 grams with the standard battery attached, and measures a thin 11.8mm. Its bright 2.3-inch screen has a QVGA resolution (320x240 pixels) and is landscape-oriented. The BlackJack doesn't have a touch-sensitive screen or stylus; a 4-way directional button, softkeys and a thumbwheel take care of navigation.
Beneath the BlackJack's screen is a QWERTY keypad with a dedicated button for each letter, in contrast to some dual-key QWERTY layouts we've seen like on the BlackBerry Pearl and Sony Ericsson M600i. The BlackJack keypad will be too cramped for those with big thumbs and we found ourselves occasionally hitting the wrong letter by accident as they're so close.
The BlackJack, as its name suggests, is entirely black, bar the silver nav-key and camera mirror on the rear. Samsung also differentiates the number keys on the BlackJack's keypad with grey buttons rather than black. With special characters sharing the limited button space, it's a cluttered-looking but functional keypad.
Features
The BlackJack runs the smartphone version of Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, which enables push e-mail -- the instantaneous sending of e-mail to your mobile device -- and synchronisation of contacts, calendar and tasks with Outlook or Entourage. You need to have an e-mail account on Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 (with Service Pack 2) at your work or home office to get this working, though.
Unfortunately the BlackJack doesn't let you edit Office documents; however, you can view formats like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF. That's not to say there's a shortage of applications on the BlackJack. You'll find Internet Explorer for Web browsing, an RSS reader for online news, Solitaire and Bubble Breaker games and a range of organisation apps like notepad, stopwatch, convertor, voice recorder and world clock.
Like the Palm Treo 750, the BlackJack supports high-speed downloads up to 1.8Mbps over 3G, subject to network limitations, but it's not all about business with the BlackJack. Windows Media Player 10 Mobile is onboard to provide some entertainment during downtime. Supported music and video file formats are limited, but still include MP3, WMA and WMV. Third-party applications can be installed for some other formats.
A 1.3-megapixel camera on the back takes stills and up to one hour of sound-enabled video at a time. There's a microSD card slot on the side which supports cards up to 512MB; otherwise there's 35MB to 42MB of user accessible internal memory and 128MB of flash ROM.
Performance
As a messaging device -- the splash screen when you turn the BlackJack on says "The Utra Messaging" -- the drawback is the cramped keypad. We found we often hit two buttons accidentally and couldn't type as fast as we'd have liked. Practice helps and those with small fingers or long fingernails shouldn't have as much of problem.
For $899 outright, Samsung has customised the BlackJackt, BlackJacko and BlackJackv for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, respectively. The Vodafone and Optus versions have dual cameras and support Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), whereas the Telstra Next G version has a single camera on the back and no Wi-Fi.
All versions support high-speed downloads up to 1.8Mbps, but this is subject to network capability (Optus hasn't rolled out HSDPA 1.8 yet, for instance).
We were sent the Wi-Fi-less BlackJackt for review so we can't vouch for the battery performance over wireless LAN. We managed three to four days between charges with occasional use of e-mail, SMS, calls and organiser features. Samsung provides an additional long life battery in the Telstra pack and an additional standard battery with the other sales packs.
As a mobile device aimed at business users looking for a balance of work and play, the BlackJack delivers the goods. Provided you get used to the keypad, it performs well as a phone, PDA and messaging device with just a handful of little quirks that deviate from an otherwise solid package.
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criticvery
19/09/2008, 09:23 AM
rating
1/10
Its an ugly blackberry wannabe
Pros: -
Cons: just look at it and it tells you all the cons worst of all no mac support
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brisbizuser
19/02/2008, 10:39 AM
rating
8/10
Have had the phone now for a few weeks and am very happy with it. Was easy to set up for Telstra (even though it was not a Telstra phone. Just log onto the Telstra site and it automatically sends the settings to the phone for WAP and MMS. Operating system can be a bit slow at times, especially compared to TReo Palm software
Pros: Light weight, WiFi, 3G, Full synch to Outlook, Voice command, Using 2Gb Micro SD card
Cons: Bigger screen would be better..get rid of the Samsung nameplate and less border around the screen. No upgrade to Windows Mobile 6. Should be bundled with Window Mobile Office software
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hank
04/02/2008, 11:22 PM
rating
9/10
if you have tried other pda's and want one that is a great pohne and manage you contact list and sync your outlook don't go past this
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Moey
29/11/2007, 10:14 PM
rating
10/10
Works well for emails with good qwerty after a little practice. Where it fails the grade is having NO voice command in the phone. Samsung paying attention to changing state laws to hands free.
Excellent phone for the things that you do everyday rather than once in a blue moon.
Has 99% of what I want
Can anybody tell me how to setup the i600 version for Telstra MMS, WAP and WWW access?
Pros: Light weight, stable OS, great screen, love the keyboard. Easy to use. No problem with Macintosh if you use Missing Sync third party software.
Cons: hands free will cost extra it has been out sourced.
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akdean
24/11/2007, 05:23 PM
rating
9/10
Has 99% of what I want
Can anybody tell me how to setup the i600 version for Telstra MMS, WAP and WWW access?
Pros: Great battery life
Cons: - small letters in display makes reading difficult in poor light
- very dry SMS symbols. Could use a few emoticons
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rhill310
07/11/2007, 03:16 PM
rating
10/10
i have a question and i need an answer. Can the Samsung i607 blackjack use a 4GB Micro SDHC card??
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SILLYBILLY123
18/07/2007, 06:56 PM
rating
10/10
This is a great phone. When i first got it everyone was raving on about how great it looks. Plus Windows RULES!!! WHen I tell everyone what its name is they're like OMG.... gotta get me one of them! Great price! BTW the camera is way better than 1.3 MP
Pros: Everything
Cons: Slighty cramped keyboard but my fingers arent fat so its all good for me.
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Aakash
28/06/2007, 05:57 PM
rating
10/10
So far i have used O2 XDA, Atom, Executive in Window based phones other than that are nokia communicator, n series, 60 series and sony ericcsson 910i n 990i... i have got full satisfaction from this mobile
Pros: Nice battery life, camera is 1.3 but when u take a pic it makes nokia 3 mega pixel shame. The best thing is its windows mobile but there r some customisation from samsung so its not boring.. slim n sexy gets noticed in seconds... Wifi-BT both works nicely. very user frndly u need time to get used to though Its a FAB phone n 100% recommanded
Cons: For cons the only thing i feel is it should have come with nice cover from manufacturer it self as i tried to put it in any cover it spoiils the looks
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naturaldisasta
18/06/2007, 10:21 AM
rating
8/10
The lack of WiFi is an issue but not a huge one, as there nothing I cant do over a phone carrier network. The camera doesn't seem that bad to be honest, I would have said it closer to 2mp not 1.3
Pros: Small and compact
Cons: no wifi
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Jetro
11/06/2007, 11:35 PM
rating
8/10
i work at telstra and i reckon it needs a little more refining, have recently decided to get A801 over blackjack. i still think it has many great benefits, i just dont wanna spend all my time sending emails..
Pros: SAMSUNG! , windows mobile/ media player
Cons: small buttons
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