My first week in the Cingular Blackjack phone
The name Blackjack is (of course) meant to bring the Blackberry to mind and for good reason. The Blackjack is an email dynamo. The only reason we have ever recommended Blackberry’s in the past is they are email work horses. Other phones have had trouble sending email (cwmx.com anyone?) or trouble supporting corporate email accounts.
The Blackjack uses Cingular’s new 3G network and it sends and receives emails very, very smoothly. Another important point, when it checks email (via 3G) it does *not* create static in speakers like GSM/EDGE devices (finally). The GSM static had reached a new low for me recently when I heard it through an electric guitar amp, not something I will miss.
The email is perfect, but, the killer application for this device is VIDEO. Video on this phone is simply awesome. It features links to free video like a CNN feed that is about 5 minutes long and is updated about every 2 hours with the latest highlights. The video simply works and that alone changes the device into something new and unique and far from just “a cell phone”.
Is it a PDA? Yes and no. Cingular says it has Windows Mobile 5, so that would lead one to think it does everything an 8125 or 8525 does, but it does not. It features Windows Mobile 5 for Smartphone, a very different operating system that will not run many programs written for Pocket Pc. Also, the device does not have a touch screen. You can still do a lot of PDA things with the phone, including sync with Outlook and lots of customization. I discovered you can use today screens written for the Motorola Q and there are quite a few nice ones here:
THEMES
The Blackjack uses Cingular’s new 3G network and it sends and receives emails very, very smoothly. Another important point, when it checks email (via 3G) it does *not* create static in speakers like GSM/EDGE devices (finally). The GSM static had reached a new low for me recently when I heard it through an electric guitar amp, not something I will miss.
The email is perfect, but, the killer application for this device is VIDEO. Video on this phone is simply awesome. It features links to free video like a CNN feed that is about 5 minutes long and is updated about every 2 hours with the latest highlights. The video simply works and that alone changes the device into something new and unique and far from just “a cell phone”.
Is it a PDA? Yes and no. Cingular says it has Windows Mobile 5, so that would lead one to think it does everything an 8125 or 8525 does, but it does not. It features Windows Mobile 5 for Smartphone, a very different operating system that will not run many programs written for Pocket Pc. Also, the device does not have a touch screen. You can still do a lot of PDA things with the phone, including sync with Outlook and lots of customization. I discovered you can use today screens written for the Motorola Q and there are quite a few nice ones here:
THEMES
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