Samsung Blackjack Review

[Briandead]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

I have had 3 phones unlocked from Cingular within the last year but as I mentioned before with this one I did get some flak about I should be using Cingular's International Roaming Plans.

The steps I took were all the same. I called Customer Care (actually the first call I made with my Blackjack as I drove back from the store)and told them I was travelling internationally and needed my phone unlocked so I could use a local SIM. They verified that I had been a customer for atleast 90 days, my account was in order, and I had international Roaming activated on my account. Then they noted my IMEI number and told me it would take 3-5 days to get the unlock code and I would get it by the E-Mail address that was on my account.

I got the unlock code, earlier than expected by E-Mail.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for all of your help Charlyee.

I finally got the BJ a couple of weeks ago. I ordered it online through Cingular's Premier Website (corporate discount + $25 discount for purchasing on the web). I got the phone in 1 day (free shipping and no tax). I wound up getting the data plan as well to get the lower cost (only $100 savings on the phone vs no data plan). It was great that I did not have to deal with a rebate. When you buy a phone with a rebate, you get taxed on the full amount and then you get the rebate back, but not the tax you paid for that rebate quantity.

Wasn't a lot of trouble setting up the phone. I did realize a bit later that not all of my contacts were synced when I tried to make a call a few days later. I found the problem related to the notes sync application (after reading about it on other forums). When I finally uninstalled the notes sync app, everything worked fine. Another irritant in the new active synch is that I cannot specify what categories of contact I wanted to synch. I had to synch everything, which takes up a lot of memory on the phone since I have a ton of contacts ( some I don't need to call but just want to keep in my contact list).

When I called in to set up my phone, I also asked for the unlock code. I was not given any third degree. As soon as I mentioned that I travel internationally, no further explanation was necessary. I received it 5 business days later. The instructions that came with it were not correct. You should just pay attention to the screen prompts.

I also recently bought a slingbox for my home. I installed the sling mobile software on the phone. It works pretty good. So I guess the unlimited data plan is going to come in handy.

My biggest complaint is that the data plan does not include text messages. For a phone with a keyboard, you would assume that text messaging would be part of the "package" that they are trying to sell you. I had to add on text messaging for another $4.99 for 400 messages a month.

So far I would give this phone an 8 out of 10.

Here are my issues with the actual phone:
It is very hard to remove the battery cover. I feel like I might break the phone with the amount of pressure that is needed to remove it.
The unlocking of the keypad is a three step process (press power button, left soft key, and then the * key). I guess I miss my clamshell phone which did not need to be locked.
The jack used for the USB/power cables is only one the side of the phone with a small flimsy cover (wish there was a dock).
No good cases are available yet that allows me to see the caller id. I bought two different leather cases from Cingular. I even went to the mall to check out those small kiosks that usually sell the third party cases to no avail. They say that it is still too new. I don't think this phone is being used in Asia yet. Otherwise, there would be tons of cases for it already. Be very careful not to accidentally buy a case for the Motorola Q (similar size, but not exact). Remember to buy a case that will fit the phone if you use the extended battery.

The good things I love about the phone:
It it is so light. My friends that use treos are so amazed at how much lighter the BJ is. I clip it onto my lanyard when at the office since I do not like to clip it onto my belt.
The landscape screen makes viewing tv easier (although most software cater the the portrait screen).
You also get an extended capacity battery.
Phone clarity is excellent. My company just moved our office to the top of a secluded hill with no cell towers nearby. Everybody complains about not having cell reception at the new office. I get full bars now.
The phone's volume is excellent. My previous Motorola MPX 220 was horrible.

[Charlyee]

Originally Posted by Briandead

Thanks for all of your help Charlyee.

Here are my issues with the actual phone:
It is very hard to remove the battery cover. I feel like I might break the phone with the amount of pressure that is needed to remove it.

Hi there, I am glad I was of some help and everything went smoothly for you.

I think I can help you with the battery cover if I can describe how I do it, so here goes:

1. Turn the phone upside down (battery side up) with the top of the phone toward you.

2. Put both you index fingers under the phone on either side of the keyboard between the 2nd. & the 3rd. row from the bottom.

3. Put both thumbs on the battery cover just about where your index finger is on the bottom, close to the respective edges and push away from you. It should slide out easily.

With a little practice you can do with without you index finger actually hitting any keys. I usually turn off the phone before changing the battery so I don't worry about it.

Let me know if it worked for you.

The instructions are from HoFo, and the poster had also posted some pictures but I am not sure that I can find them any more.

[Briandead]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

Hi there, I am glad I was of some help and everything went smoothly for you.

I think I can help you with the battery cover if I can describe how I do it, so here goes:

1. Turn the phone upside down (battery side up) with the top of the phone toward you.

2. Put both you index fingers under the phone on either side of the keyboard between the 2nd. & the 3rd. row from the bottom.

3. Put both thumbs on the battery cover just about where your index finger is on the bottom, close to the respective edges and push away from you. It should slide out easily.

With a little practice you can do with without you index finger actually hitting any keys. I usually turn off the phone before changing the battery so I don't worry about it.

Let me know if it worked for you.

The instructions are from HoFo, and the poster had also posted some pictures but I am not sure that I can find them any more.

They only way I can get the cover off consistently is if I push down on the middle of the battery cover while using the standard battery.

When I tried using the Extended battery, it did not work.

I was not able to open the battery cover using the method you just mentioned. Maybe I need to search HoFo for a picture to see if I am doing it correctly.

Thanks again.

[Charlyee]

Originally Posted by Briandead

They only way I can get the cover off consistently is if I push down on the middle of the battery cover while using the standard battery.

When I tried using the Extended battery, it did not work.

I was not able to open the battery cover using the method you just mentioned. Maybe I need to search HoFo for a picture to see if I am doing it correctly.
Thanks again.

Oops sorry, I forgot you had the extended battery so my method may not work at all. Here is another post, but I don't think it is for the extended battery either.

[wirles]

Briandead:
I am considering this for a case:

Smoke Case/Belt Clip

[Charlyee]

Briandead, Wirles,

I have a couple of question:

1. How long does the extended battery last on one charge cycle? Wirles, I realize it may be too soon for you to answer this question.

2. Did either of you get a vehicle charger and if so was it from Samsung or Cingular?


Thanks much....

[wirles]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

Briandead, Wirles,

I have a couple of question:

1. How long does the extended battery last on one charge cycle? Wirles, I realize it may be too soon for you to answer this question.

2. Did either of you get a vehicle charger and if so was it from Samsung or Cingular?


Thanks much....

I have experimented with locking WCDMA(3G) versus letting it auto back and forth...unfortunately, there isn't 3G coverage within 10 miles of my house so I need to leave it on auto. 3G locked will spare battery time as CDMA manages power use as a function of its operation.

My extended battery only lost one bar after a full day of use (lots of web, email, and voice calls). The standard battery needed an afternoon charge for me. I have a Samsung CAD300MBEB car charger. I can get them for $10 + shipping (coming out of Baltimore, MD so my shipping is cheap and I usually add it to other orders).

[Briandead]

Originally Posted by wirles

Briandead:
I am considering this for a case:

Smoke Case/Belt Clip

This is the closest case I could find to what I really want on ebay. I want a leather case with a clear vinyl-like cover for the screen without anything covering the keyboard with a rotating belt-clip. I love the case I had for my Motorola MPX 220. It fit perfectly. I might buy this case if I find it in Black.
Ebay item

I already bought two different cases from Cingular. One is the side loading one and the other one is the top loading one. I mainly use the top loading one (the belt clip rotates). Unfortunately, both cover the screen for caller id purposes.

[danielkarluk]

hello.
hello.

[danielkarluk]

briandead, are you there?

[Briandead]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

Briandead, Wirles,

I have a couple of question:

1. How long does the extended battery last on one charge cycle? Wirles, I realize it may be too soon for you to answer this question.

2. Did either of you get a vehicle charger and if so was it from Samsung or Cingular?

Thanks much....

Charlyee,

1. I primarily use the standard battery since I normally wear the phone clipped onto my lanyard. So I can't really speak to how long the extended battery will last. Since the standard battery lasts pretty long for me, I imagine the extended battery will last pretty long. I will be on vacation next week and will be using my extended battery. If I notice anything weird with the battery, I will let you know. Btw, I turned off bluetooth and infrared receiving on my phone. I did not change the network settings to stick to only 3G, etc.

2. I did buy the car charger from Cingular. Not sure if it is a Samsung one. There is no Samsung name on the charger. I bought it online with my phone. My previous charger I bought from Cingular for my Motorola had a Cingular logo on it. This new charger for my Samsung doesn't even have a Cingular logo on it.

[nKrypteD1]

Originally Posted by wirles

Well, I did it. I sold my 8700c to a coworker and got a Blackjack yesterday. It will take me a few days to get used to the layout of the menus and such since I haven't had a Windows Mobile device since my Axim X5 in 2001. Heck, I have carried a Blackberry/Rim device since 97 or so. I need to spend some time on HowardForums and here to learn the tips and shortcuts. I think I finally got my email working on the POP3 set up. I wasn't able to get the Exchange server to work properly.

Charlyee: I will be picking your brain at some point, I guarantee it.

Wirles did you get your exchange server setup? If not it's done via the ActiveSync settings on the phone, I believe you can also configure it via the activesync application on your desktop. If you need any help let me know

[wirles]

Originally Posted by nKrypteD1

Wirles did you get your exchange server setup? If not it's done via the ActiveSync settings on the phone, I believe you can also configure it via the activesync application on your desktop. If you need any help let me know

I tried to set it up, but it didn't seem to want to work properly. Plus, our MS server is 2000, not 2003 so we don't have the mobility options for push. Is there any benefit to using the MS Exchange over POP3 if we don't have the mobile options?

[nKrypteD1]

Originally Posted by wirles

I tried to set it up, but it didn't seem to want to work properly. Plus, our MS server is 2000, not 2003 so we don't have the mobility options for push. Is there any benefit to using the MS Exchange over POP3 if we don't have the mobile options?

Yeah, as far as I recall using it via On Air Sync would allow you to sync contacts, notes, and appointments over the air, but if that's really not neccessarry then I'd just set it up as Pop and setup the pop account to check email every 5 to 15 minutes, that's how I have mine set.

Edit: After I posted I realized, if you have PDA connect you can also use Xpressmail for Push email, just as long as you have a full time running desktop.

[wirles]

Originally Posted by nKrypteD1

Yeah, as far as I recall using it via On Air Sync would allow you to sync contacts, notes, and appointments over the air, but if that's really not neccessarry then I'd just set it up as Pop and setup the pop account to check email every 5 to 15 minutes, that's how I have mine set.

Edit: After I posted I realized, if you have PDA connect you can also use Xpressmail for Push email, just as long as you have a full time running desktop.

That is the problem. My laptop isn't on 24/7 and we don't have Server 2003 so we don't have the mobility features. I am hoping we upgraded from Server 2000 and get this going. It is really a pain since I am used to having an in house BES with full OTA functionality.

[walkguru]

my friend, karen bought the 8525 from cingular, decided it was too much, tool it bach, and ordered a blackjack from wirefly. it comes in tomorrow.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by Briandead

2. I did buy the car charger from Cingular. Not sure if it is a Samsung one. There is no Samsung name on the charger. I bought it online with my phone. My previous charger I bought from Cingular for my Motorola had a Cingular logo on it. This new charger for my Samsung doesn't even have a Cingular logo on it.

I would say it's a Samsung Charger then, if you bought it from Cingular. As for the logo, this may be due to their name change & Cingular ordering items without a logo till everything was approved for the merger, I am sure in time the new ones will have the AT&T logo on them.

[wirles]

Originally Posted by Fire14

I would say it's a Samsung Charger then, if you bought it from Cingular. As for the logo, this may be due to their name change & Cingular ordering items without a logo till everything was approved for the merger, I am sure in time the new ones will have the AT&T logo on them.

Not neccesarily. It depends on whether it was a corporate store. Is there any part number or other identifying information? I know that Cingular/ATT corporate stores get a lot of their retail accessories fulfilled through Tessco and at any given time (depending on the order) could be a Samsung, or other off-brand charger.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by wirles

Not neccesarily. It depends on whether it was a corporate store. Is there any part number or other identifying information? I know that Cingular/ATT corporate stores get a lot of their retail accessories fulfilled through Tessco and at any given time (depending on the order) could be a Samsung, or other off-brand charger.

That's true & I just assumed he got it thru a Corp. store.

[Briandead]

Originally Posted by Fire14

That's true & I just assumed he got it thru a Corp. store.

I bought it online via Cingular's Premier website. No visible part numbers.

[wirles]

Well, I got my holster/belt clip today. For some reason I thought I ordered the smoke case/clip pictured above, but here is what I got:



The problem is, it is for the standard battery and door, and I have my extended in right now. I will have to wait until Monday and switch out the battery when I get to the office.

Also have this set to arrive on Monday:


Just in time since I head out of town on business Tuesday.

[wirles]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

1. How long does the extended battery last on one charge cycle?

On Wednesday, I had an hour and a half long conference call that I took on my BT headset from the BJ. Add that to my normal day of calling, lots of email, and surfing....I got a low battery indicator around 7:30pm. My day started at 6:30 with emails on the phone, so not too bad to get 13 hours with the use I had on the extended battery. I would venture a guess that the standard battery would have died mid afternoon if not sooner.

[walkguru]

Wirelessly posted (Walkguru's: MOT-RAZRV3xx/96.71.95R BER2.2 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; 11063081) Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 Opera 8.00 [en] UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

thats pretty good.

[Charlyee]

Originally Posted by wirles

On Wednesday, I had an hour and a half long conference call that I took on my BT headset from the BJ. Add that to my normal day of calling, lots of email, and surfing....I got a low battery indicator around 7:30pm. My day started at 6:30 with emails on the phone, so not too bad to get 13 hours with the use I had on the extended battery. I would venture a guess that the standard battery would have died mid afternoon if not sooner.

Thanks wirles, my phone use is not as extensive as yours, I can easily get by with charging every evening on the standard battery,I keep my phone off at night. I think I will keep using the standard battey, I do need to order that vehicle charger one of these days.

A 2 GB Micro SD will be nice, I have a 1GB, it is the one that I had for my 6131.

[wirles]

I just found a new love for my Blackjack.

I have been off of BES (blackberry enterprise server) for about a year and a half. On Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) you can not get OTA functionality of calendar invites. With my Pop3 email setup on the BJ, when someone sends me an email, I can view and accept the invite and it goes into my calendar as it should.

On the BB, without BES, you can't even view the appointment.

I was so psyched!!!!!!

[Charlyee]

Just using my screen capture program to show off the screen on the Blackjack

PS: Looks like I lost some resolution when going from .bmp to .gif, the images are sharper on the actual screen & on the .bmp files.

[Steven2420]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

Just using my screen capture program to show off the screen on the Blackjack

PS: Looks like I lost some resolution when going from .bmp to .gif, the images are sharper on the actual screen & on the .bmp files.

WOW, gorgeous screen young lady...great job!

[wirles]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

Just using my screen capture program to show off the screen on the Blackjack

PS: Looks like I lost some resolution when going from .bmp to .gif, the images are sharper on the actual screen & on the .bmp files.

What are you using for screen cap?

BTW: I had my BJ plugged into my USB port overnight in the hotel (charger indicator appeared) and I woke up to a half charged battery

With that, my extended battery was beeping the low charge alarm by mid afternoon.

[Charlyee]

Originally Posted by wirles

What are you using for screen cap?

BTW: I had my BJ plugged into my USB port overnight in the hotel (charger indicator appeared) and I woke up to a half charged battery

With that, my extended battery was beeping the low charge alarm by mid afternoon.

This one.

Did you have the Blackjack itself plugged in then? Are you sure the plug did not come loose from the phone sometime? I have had this problem a few times where it looks like it is plugged in, and 3 hours later I find out that it did not make electrical contact. Just a thought.

Btw. Cingular is going to send me a free extended battery & battery door - how about that?

[wirles]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

This one.

Did you have the Blackjack itself plugged in then? Are you sure the plug did not come loose from the phone sometime? I have had this problem a few times where it looks like it is plugged in, and 3 hours later I find out that it did not make electrical contact. Just a thought.

Btw. Cingular is going to send me a free extended battery & battery door - how about that?

Thanks!

I don't know. It had the 'charging' icon when I went to sleep.

Why are they sending you another battery? Didn't you get one in the box?