I am in the market for my first smartphone (carrying a day planner around is starting to get old). Does anyone have experience with the Samsung BlackJack? What else is out there for a newbie? Ease of use is more important than anything else. Thanks!
I’ve got one of these:
http://www.vodafonebusinessshop.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=Phones.productdetails&prodid=1806
its fantastic - a Vodafone branded Qtek
if ease of use is important to you and you use a PC then look for the Windows Mobile operating system in the phone. this makes it loads easier to sync with the PC, just plug play. i’ve had a few Sony Ericcson smartphones (P910i from memory); they were fantastic phones but i found them difficult to sync with a PC
Who is your preferred carrier?
Would you sync it to mail? (Business, personal or both) Do you work for a large company?
If yes above, would you just read email or actually like to respond to it?
Would you ever need to view an attachment?
My preferred carrier is Cingular
I would like to sync to both my personal and business, but will settle on personal only if I have to choose.
I would like to respond to emails as well as read them.
Yes, I would like to view attachments.
Nearly all the Cingular Smartphones/PDA running Windows Mobile 5 are very good. It really comes down to whether you want a “full” keyboard or not. Personally, I like the 3125, but if you need a larger viewing area, will look at Excel spreadsheets or bang out a lot of emails…you want want a full keyboard.
As for email, you can add multiple email accounts to Mobile 5, but I’d recommend syncing your “Inbox” to work email (Exchange server or whatever ISP you might be using) and use the IE (Internet Explorer) to access personal email.
And yes…you can post on ST very easily using Mobile 5/IE. ;o)
Try looking at the reviews on cnet.com for the various phones Cingular offers. FWIW my experience has shown that anything with a rating above ~7.8 on this site is generally pretty good. I am w Verizon and have had the Moto Q since June. This is my first smartphone- ie no screen entry- all keyboard. Phones that operate on the Pocket PC OS and the various Treo’s will also allow entry via stylus on the screen. Prior to the Moto I have used the Treo 650, and 700w, as well as a couple Blackberries and the Samsung i730 (for work). I don’t miss not having screen entry w a stylus, and after buying a program to synch Outlook notes I am very happy w smartphone w an extended battery. Try the keyboards on all the phones you are interested in buying. The BB are still the best to me, then the Moto, and I did not like the Treo’s or the i730.
Based on your specs, I would recommend the Treo. I’ve used mine for years and like it a lot. Stick with the Palm version, as Windows Mobile is a big pain in the neck to use (long menu structure, non-intuitive commands, etc.) The BB works well, but only if you have the server/software at the corporate level. If your company doesn’t have that, using the web-based version can be a pain. The Treo synchs by using software that comes with the phone. I also think the Treo works better than the BB as a phone (although I have not used the newest BBs.)