Samsung SGH I617 BlackJack II (AT&T)

The phone was in excellent condition, like brand new!!!! I love the bigger screen, and the updated jog wheel. I also like the new graphics(Samsung takes beautiful, clear picture and videos)and tones in the blackjack 2. My favorite thing about this phone though is the color, it's red!!

This is one of the best phone i have ever owned there are better out there but this is going to be the best bang for the buck

The original Samsung SGH-i607 BlackJack was a great phone that was hampered by pretty poor battery life, like many of the thin QWERTY equipped smartphones of the past. In spite of that issue, the BlackJack was still a very popular cell phone for AT&T (then Cingular). This time around, Samsung has addressed the battery issue and added a few new goodies to the mix, like a d-pad that serves double duty as a scroll wheel. The resulting device is a millimeter or two bigger in height and width, and an extra 10g heavier, but those minor tradeoffs are well worth the results.

The new SGH-i617 features the same basic form factor and design as the original BlackJack. The phone's flat block shape tapers down at the bottom, giving the phone a pleasing look and an equally pleasing feel in the hand. The lines used by Samsung's designers are all very clean and soft, with the only exceptions being the squared corners on the buttons found in the d-pad control cluster beneath the display. New for the BlackJack II is the piano black glossy finish on the cover, which makes the phone something that any CSI investigator would love to find at a crime scene. It is worth noting that the wine red version has a textured back cover that doesn't show fingerprints, but it still has a glossy front cover.

The display on the BlackJack II has a 2.4" screen that can render 65,000 colors. This QVGA resolution screen is crisp and colorful, and can be set to any one of 5 brightness levels, all of which I found to be quite workable. It has an almost paper-like appearance to it that I just love. The aforementioned control keys and d-pad all work quite well and are attractively designed. The BlackJack II's d-pad scroll function works better than the one found on the T-Mobile Shadow that we recently reviewed, and proved itself to be quite useful. I do think that it would work even better if it had a more fingertip grabbing radial pattern on it instead of its concentric circles design, which doesn't provide enough grip for dry and cold wintertime fingers.

The d-pad isn't the only thing that lacks a bit of grip on the SGH-i617. The phone's otherwise stellar QWERTY keyboard's keys have the same glossy surface as the rest of the device, something that makes them a bit slick at times. The older BlackJack didn't have that problem, though it did suffer from a strange number key layout that has been fixed on the new model. The new BlackJack II also has a couple of additional shortcuts keys that I find quite handy. Overall, it is an exceedingly good keyboard, it just could have been a tad bit better if it had kept the old design's matte finish.

The remainder of the device is pretty simple. A nicely shaped volume rocker control is found at the top of the left edge of the phone, and the multi-purpose power/data/headset port is located directly beneath it. I would have preferred for this port to have been on the bottom of the device, though, as side-mounted headsets are a real problem in pockets. A power button is located on the top of the device, which I like since it also calls up the Quick List menu. A small multi-color status LED is located nearby. It provides information about charging and new events, like received messages. The right edge of the phone is bare except for the microSD slot, and the nicely sculpted back cover of the phone bulges out where the 2 megapixel camera is located. Otherwise, the rear cover is plain except for the subtle Samsung

I had this phone previously but it was damaged severely. I wanted to get the same one because the phone is organized in a clean and logical manner, the keyboard works well and look great as well. Though it does slow down a bit sometimes but technology isn't perfect!

Well i love the buttons. The ability ti have music as a text alert.

I thought it would function more as a 'computer' since its a smartphone. But really the internet has not been any different or faster than that of my LG Vu, just $20 more a month.

Maybe i'm missinf something but the 'smartphone' just doesn't live up to the name...

Excellent product and service. I needed this phone because I was unhappy wiht my current phone. The product was like new. A+++

I love the phone very please on hew fast i got replies about questions and getting the phone fast. I cant wait to use my new phone