|
Samsung BlackJack i607 Smartphone
Camera and Music
The camera is OK, I mean, it's the typical camera phone. The camera lacks a light like the Motorola Q, so you'll have to be in good light conditions before you try to take the picture. The picture quality was suitable for MySpace or similar but no replacement for a real digital camera. Luckily Cingular doesn't require you to send the photo to yourself and incur charges to get it off your phone (*cough*Verizon*cough*). (Ed: Not sure what you're referring to about Verizon, there. I'm with Verizon and my Treo 650 doesn't make me send myself photos, and I can download them to my computer during a synch.) The music player is OK, you don't want to depend on it to rock out at your next party as the speaker on the phone is fairly weak, and there is no standard headphone jack, so you're going to have to bring your own Bluetooth stereo headphones (which the phone does support through Bluetooth 2.0+EDR). The phone also supports streaming audio and video playback, however the phone I was supplied with doesn't have a suitable Cingular package (Media Net) to watch streaming video or listen to XM radio. Conclusion The biggest gripe I have and have seen around the internet with the Samsung Blackjack is the lack of battery life. There have been posts by users on how to mitigate the low battery life (turning off things that aren't being used - beam and Bluetooth for example). But the only real way around this issue is to buy the extended battery as well as an additional charger for your desk or in your car. There is an upside however -Cingular is now packaging the extended battery with the phone, and those that bought early and didn't get it can get it for free. I didn't get one with my review sample however, so I can't really comment on how much better it performs, but from what I read it will last about 40% longer than the traditional battery, so you should be able to get around two days of life out of it. The only other major problem I had with this phone is the crowded navigation keys. I found myself hitting the wrong key and getting out of a screen I wanted to stay in. Otherwise the phone was good - the voice quality and reception were good, and Windows Mobile 5 is a good operating system for the phone since you get a lot of features (email, IE, RSS, etc) packaged with the operating system. In my opinion, the biggest issue with smartphones isn't the price of the device or the features - it's the cost of the rate plans. The phone (after contract discount and mail in rebate) is only $150 which is a steal compared to the upcoming iPhone's announced pricing (not that it is really in the same league!). However, unlimited messaging and unlimited data is $59.99/mo ($39.99 for PDA Connect Unlimited and $19.99 for Messaging Unlimited) - and that doesn't even include your monthly minutes or access to Cingular's Media Net service for streaming audio and video (Media Net would cost an extra $20/mo). That is a steep price to pay for being able to text, IM, check e-mail and read web pages on the go. For businesses it's not a big deal because it more than pays for itself in terms of productivity, but for casual users it's usually not worth it. Last Minute Note: Newegg is selling the phone for free with qualifying rate plan. Pros Thin and Light Very Functional (email, IM, internet, tethering) Good call quality 3G Data Speeds (HSDPA providing 500-700kb/s down and 150kb/s up) Cons Battery life Random problems with Internet Explorer that required a phone reboot Crowded call/navigation keys Cingular's expensive rate plans to make the phone fully functional
Page 1: Introduction, What's Inside & Advertised Capabilities
Page 2: First Looks Page 3: Phone, Contacts and Calendar Page 4: Email, IM and Internet Page 5: Camera, Music and Conclusion 
Related Reviews Communications February 17, 2009
Communications February 13, 2009
Communications January 5, 2009
Communications November 13, 2008
Add Comment
7 User Comments 1 - Posted by
Max Slowik
on May 7, 2007 - 8:48 pm "When you dial numbers, they are shown on the screen at a large size, which is good for older folks who may not have the best vision (my parents always complain about this fact – how the cellphones have small numbers displayed when you’re dialing)." It's amazing that our parents were ever able to use phones /without/ displays /at all/ ;P 2 - Posted by
aireiq
on May 9, 2007 - 2:06 pm Aren't all data plans spendy? Or are you saying that the one you reviewed is worse than many/most/all others?
3 - Posted by
handrail
on May 9, 2007 - 3:06 pm i think most data plans are rather spendy. let's hope the iPhone's (presumed) popularity will spawn other similar products that jumpstart the popularity of EDGE and HSDPA and bring the cost down.
4 - Posted by
Kurtis
on May 9, 2007 - 3:49 pm He was referring to all data plans. It's a problem with all smartphones. The data plans are ridiculously expensive for the casual user. Certainly a small and worthwhile investment for business but for the average Joe it's just a bit on the expensive side.
5 - Posted by
aireiq
on May 9, 2007 - 10:07 pm @Kurtis Thanks for clarification. I thought for a second there it was specific to the smartphone TTL reviewed (What? The BlackJakc plans are even more expensive?). Thought it was "[TTL's] biggest complaint" as mentioned in the intro. Thanks again. 6 - Posted by
Kurtis
on May 9, 2007 - 10:19 pm Anthony's biggest complaints were battery life (with the standard battery, he didn't have an extended one to test), and the expensive data plans for smart phones.
7 - Posted by
Max Slowik
on May 10, 2007 - 2:12 am Oh, I totally get that impression too: I thought the complaint was the cost of the plan, too, since the battery life thing would seem to have been solved by the mfg. Add Comment To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields. |
Recent Articles Editorials August 27, 2009
Editorials August 18, 2009
Editorials March 3, 2009
Editorials February 12, 2009
Recent News VICE Nov. 20, 2009 - 7:17 pm
Wired Nov. 20, 2009 - 7:07 pm
Engadget Nov. 20, 2009 - 6:58 pm
Telegraph.co.uk Nov. 20, 2009 - 6:48 pm
BBC Nov. 20, 2009 - 6:38 pm
Destructoid Nov. 18, 2009 - 11:55 pm
Wired Nov. 16, 2009 - 11:56 pm
Ultimate Typing Championship Nov. 16, 2009 - 11:42 pm
|
|||||||||||||||
