Joining the parade of sleek, sub-$200 smart phones, the Samsung BlackJack is anything but a 
me-too device. It’s the first affordable Windows Mobile phone to run on Cingular’s growing high-speed HSDPA network, and it includes a host of amenities the competition lacks, including support for Cingular Video and streaming XM radio. Some prospective buyers may lament the lack of Wi-Fi, but we think the BlackJack is the real deal.
At first glance, the BlackJack looks like a black-clad Moto Q clone. But while this device has all the sex appeal of a scientific calculator, it’s lighter (3.5 ounces vs. 4.1 ounces), a hair thinner (0.46 inches vs. 0.47 inches), and noticeably narrower (2.3 inches vs. 2.5 inches) than the Q. The soft-touch finish gives the BlackJack a good grip, and despite its tiny dimensions, the keyboard didn’t feel cramped. We had no trouble typing e-mail or URLs at a quick pace. Like the Q, the BlackJack sports a thumbwheel on the right side for scrolling through menus and Web pages, along with a corresponding Back/Clear key.
We have only two complaints about the design: 1) The BlackJack’s four-way navigation key is too close to the Send and End keys; we accidentally entered the phone menu or exited an application on more than one occasion. 2) With the way the dial pad is arranged on the QWERTY layout, a letter falls between each number (going from left to right), which slows dialing.
The right side of the device is where you’ll also find the microSD Card slot to supplement the 64MB of built-in RAM (about 40MB of it is user-accessible), and the volume keys and a proprietary USB/charger jack line the left side. The optional stereo headset uses the same jack, but we’d suggest springing for a stereo Bluetooth headset so you can talk and listen to music wirelessly. A raised portion on the back of the device houses the camera lens, self-portrait mirror, and speaker. This protrusion makes the BlackJack easy to hold during calls. :: LAPTOP Magazine • Samsung BlackJack ::