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- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 273 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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25 out of 27 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Amazing phone...be creative"
Pros: Feel, look, simplicity, functionality
Cons: Very, very few that can't be tweaked
Summary: OK, I feel I owe it to the Blackjack to write this review because of all the other reviews I read here first before finally deciding to take the plung and go for it. And let me tell you I am very happy I did!
First and foremost I think the individuals that gave this phone 4's or below are the same type of people that buy a base model car and complain that it doesn't have the bells and whistles when they drive off the lot. Out of the box this phone is great but if you can actually use your brain, try some new things out and be creative this phone is going to be one of the best purchases you make for a while, at least for the 2 years cingular locks you in for.=)
I'm going to give you some examples. The first has to do with not being able to access google's GMAIL and GOOGLE MAPS mobile phone applications. This is true, out of the box these do not work because of restrictions that cingular put in the phone. HOWEVER, searching around I was able to find this (http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1055665&page=1&pp=15) which explains in full detail how to get google's applications to run flawlessly. Long story short, it works!!!
Second, the batteries. Yes, the batteries drain quicker then normal because of the 3G technology. I bet you if the same people complaining had 1 week of battery life and could only read 1 email per hour, they would gripe about the data speed. It's a lose-lose for them. I'll say it again, BE CREATIVE!!! With 3G active you could get about 3-4 hours of battery life. If you are out and about take the second battery with you. OR! turn 3G on, check your email, do your data stuff and then turn 3G off and switch to GSM mode. There is a great comment in these reviews that explains how to create a shortcut for the start menu to make the switching back and forth between the modes take about 4 seconds (I know, real tough). Just today I was switching back and forth between 3G and GSM and went through one bar of battery.
In doing some basic google searches I also discovered that you could turn the "BEAM" feature off which will increase the battery life by another 15%. Beaming is when two devices send things back and forth such as electronic business cards, etc... but why have this active all the time? There is no reason, so turn it off until or when you need it.
The screen on the blackjack is awesome too. Beautiful colors and clarity. I was hoping that one of the features of the phone would be a full picture screen of who was calling if you assigned that contact a picture. Did it have it...no. Did I toss the phone agains the wall and curse the day I got it...no. I found "Photo Contacts PRO" which is an application that can be installed on the blackjack and do exactly what I wanted with incoming caller pictures.
The only major flaw I found is that the blackjack does not have a regular 3.5mm headset jack to plug in to. It has some weird port that you have to buy a special headset for ORRRRRR you could go froogle.com, search for "blackjack 3.5mm" and buy and adapter for $4.99 so you can use your existing headset to listen to music, etc... See, it's simple.
Here is my final word. In getting these types of devices every person has their own expectations of what they want. Rarely does something come off the shelf that you are competely satisfied with. Remember that they put this-icon-here and that-menu-there because they polled a bunch of people that tested this product and took the average of what was considered "positive feedback". Do your own research on how to tweak the blackjack. Read posts on tips and tricks. Hell, creative people even started blackjackusers.com for people. Use your head. Don't read to much into the "I took it out of the box and it didn't...." reviews. This phone is amazing and worth the $200 hands down.
- 5 replies to this review
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Using your brain to solve these problems is the logical thing to do. In fact I have to, work issued me this phone and I'm stuck with it. I may as well make the most of it.
Here's the point - you shouldn't have to do these things, the phone should work right out of the box. How anybody can give the phone a "spectacular" rating with all these work-arounds is beyond me.
Ratings should be based on how the thing was sold to you, which is at best a 6 of 10. Hey, a Honda Civic can be almost like a Lexus if you throw enough money at it.
A can practically gaurantee that nobody who gave this phone a "9" ever owned a Blackberry. What a concept, a device that works great right out of the box. Let's save the 9's for the things that really deserve it. -
Ah, a non-complaining, non-whinning intelligent person. Excellent ideas and wonderfully realistic commentary. Thank you! Joe
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Hey Paulhunt08 Thank You! I am in the search for a smartphone and already have Cingular service. I glad I took the time to read the bad and good reviews but yours probably pushed me to buy this phone. Finally someone who doesn't expect to have everything handed to them and uses the brain given to us to figure it out. I do not consider myself the most tech-savy person, but with your info shedding light on the little problems and solving them is enlightening. I was going to go with the Treo 680 but I gonna to give the Blackjack a chance.
Thanks
Spacoli69 -
Yes, finally someone to mirror my opinion. I do plenty of research before I actually buy a device, so I know what accessories to get and start collecting tips and programs and tweaking ideas. Besides, what fun is a toy if you don't play with it and figure things out. I thought people that liked gadgets know how to fix things. Trust me, if there is a problem with a technology, manufacturers will come out with a solution for it fast enough. They even have a microsd wifi card coming out. The best part is being creative and tweaking your device. There's almost always a fix, just google it.
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Hi ,
I have recently purchased a blackjact and in love with it.I am planning to customise it and your review helped a lot.
regards
Where to buy
Samsung BlackJack SGH-i607 (AT&T):
$19.99 - $99.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$99.99 | Yes |
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RadioShack.com
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$19.99 | Yes |
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