The new BlackJack™ II by Samsung is packed with features and offers users a sleeker looking design than the original BlackJack™. The BlackJack™ II is slightly heavier (4.1 ounces versus 3.5 ounces) than its predecessor primarily due the larger 1700-mAh battery that offers twice the talk time. The BlackJack™ II features Windows Mobile® 6, faster 3G download speeds, a larger 2.4" display screen and a full QWERTY keyboard. The new design has a front jog wheel that works for simple navigation as well as for easier scrolling by using circular motions. The unit supports stereo Bluetooth® headsets and comes with a built-in 2.0 megapixel camera. There is also support for location-based applications such as TeleNav GPS Navigator™, which provides GPS-enabled turn-by-turn voice and on-screen driving or walking directions with colorful 3-D moving maps and traffic-delay alerts. BlackJack™ II is the first AT&T business-oriented smart device to feature Video Share. The BlackJack™ II is available in 2 colors (black and wine red).

BlackJack™ II gives users access to multiple e-mail accounts, including both personal and business, through Microsoft Direct Push technology with Outlook® Mobile and AT&T Xpress Mail™, which include most major POP3/IMAP providers. We set up our AOL and Yahoo accounts and the email system worked well. The unit notified us when any new email arrived in our mailbox.

Users can take advantage of Windows Mobile® 6, which allows access to Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents using Office Mobile while on the go. Access to the internet is also possible with Internet Explorer Mobile. Tri-band 3G UMTS/HSDPA and Quad-band EDGE/GPRS technology takes advantage of AT&T's industry-leading international wireless footprint for access to e-mail, the Web and other data applications in more than 135 countries — including Japan, South Korea and China — and customers can make or receive phone calls in more than 190 countries.

Media Rich
The BlackJack™ II can access AT&T's Mobile Music — an integrated, on-the-go music experience that delivers customizable music by providing simple access to a wide selection of music content, including XM Radio Mobile (available for $8.99 a month). BlackJack™ II also features AT&T's CV streaming video service where customers can watch a large selection of video clips of their favorite television shows, sports, news and weather, entertainment and premium content, including hit HBO programs and exclusive mobile content from World Wrestling Entertainment. Large bandwidth is required for these features, so it is best to have a phone/data package that supports it.

Performance
We thought we would never see another device that would take the place of the Blackberry, but the BlackJack™ II did. The features and ease of use made this our new favorite smart phone. The QWERTY keyboard was much easier for us to use than the BlackBerry. The screen was bright with good contrast. We paired the MOTOROKR S9 Bluetooth® stereo headphones with the unit bypassing the need for a wired set of earphones. The audio performance was great for a mobile device. Battery life was very good during our tests even with fairly heavy use of the phone. However, we found that daily charging is required in some cases.

Conclusion
The Samsung BlackJack™ II (with AT&T Service) is one of the best smartphones that I have used to date. The design offers a user-friendly interface and has powerful features that we have become dependent on. Support for multiple e-mail accounts quickly got me addicted to this device and much time was spend responding to emails in realtime. This is a great tool for those used to BlackBerries. In fact, I found this phone to be just as good if not better than the 8820 we reviewed a while back. If you liked the original BlackJack™, you will love the new BlackJack™ II.

- Kevin Nakano

• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 standard — stay connected with calendar, email, to-do list and more
• Tri-band HSDPA/quad-band EDGE world phone — work from virtually anywhere at 3G speeds including Japan and South Korea**
• Large 2.4" 65K TFT display screen — enjoy easier reading with the large display
• Integrated GPS — find your next destination quickly with TeleNav Maps or TeleNav GPS Navigator™
• Wireless email support for Microsoft Direct Push, Good® Mobile Messaging and Xpress Mail
• Microsoft Office Mobile® — access Word®, Excel®, or view PowerPoint® files
• 2.0 megapixel camera and video recorder — capture and share great moments
• Stereo Bluetooth® 2.0 connectivity — experience true hands-free communication
• Embedded Mobile Instant Messenger supporting Yahoo!®, AOL®, and Windows Live™
• AT&T Video & AT&T Music — stream music and video in real time
• Video Share Calling — talk on the phone and share live video instantly
• Embedded RSS Reader Client — customize news feeds direct to your device
• QWERTY keyboard with front jog wheel