Samsung Blackjack 2 SGH-617

Make no mistake about it - the Samsung BlackJack-2-SGH-617 is not a petite phone. While nowhere near the size of the "bricks" of the 1980's, this unit is larger than many similar products on the market. This will make it a little harder to slip into a pocket, although the unit will still slide into a lapel pocket on a jacket or into a purse without a lot of trouble.

One good thing is that there are plenty of features to help justify the size. There is a great jog wheel that replaces the D-pads found on some of the older BlackJack models. At the same time, the processor is much quicker than many other phones and the memory capacity is fantastic. Toss in the document viewer and the HSDPA and you have something really great going on.

For media, there is an excellent MP3 playback capability. The camera takes decent shots and has several controls that help to make each shot turn out right. You can adjust the brightness with ease, set up a time delay on the capturing of the image, and even set up a multishot sequence.

Of course, the main focus of any phone is the sound quality. Whether using the BlackJack-2 as a handset or as a speakerphone, the level of clarity is well within industry standards. If you don't mind a phone that is a little bigger, chances are this unit will provide a lot of satisfaction.

Pros

* Keyboard is a great size and easy to use
* microSD card slot
* Faster processor than on many phones
* Long battery life that provides a talk time of 7 hours

Cons

* Lacks Wi-Fi
* Runs Windows Mobile 6 – not a universal favorite

Overall

The Samsung BlackJack-2-SGH-617 has a lot of power for a handheld device. If quicker processing is your thing, then this unit is well worth looking into. In fact, the phone has well rounded features that will appeal to both the businessperson and the tech-junkie alike.