After testing the Blackjack for a few weeks, we find that we agree. This is a smartphone that works well as a light business or entertainment device. No, it won't replace your notebook or MP3 player, but it has a lot going for it, not the least of which is that it uses Cingular's 3G network, so online connections were pleasantly fast.

Design
The Blackjack is destined to be compared to the Motorola Q, a slim smartphone that gives a feeling of luxury to the business market. The Blackjack is actually slimmer and less wide than the Q (measuring 4.5 x 2.3 x 0.5 inches and weighing 3.5 ounces). The reduced width is appreciated, since you feel like you're using a regular cell phone when you're holding it.

While the design is nice overall, a few unpleasant touches keep it from feeling truly stylish. The Blackjack has a full QWERTY keyboard, but we dislike how the number keys were added in. They're gray, as opposed to the black of the other keys, and don't stand out that much visually. They're also spaced apart, which is odd, although pressing the key to the right of the number key will produce the same number (so pressing the "R" gives you a "1" when dialing). The worst thing, though, is that they don't light up a different color, which would make dialing in dim lighting much faster.

The other design flaw is how the lens of the 1.3 megapixel camera juts out of the rear. It ruins the shape of the phone, and looks like it was badly grafted on. The camera takes good quality pictures, and we're glad the Blackjack has a decent 1.3 megapixel camera, as opposed to one with a smaller resolution, but the awkward way the camera sticks out bothered us every time we picked up the phone.


          Rear View - Camera

The Blackjack has a 320 x 240 pixel, 65,000 color TFT display, which was nice and bright in our testing. It doesn't have a touch-screen, which is one of the few tradeoffs in using it. If that's a necessity for you, consider a Palm Treo.

Below the screen, you'll find the familiar arrangement of a touch-pad, start and end call buttons, and soft keys. The phone also offers dedicated Home and Back buttons.

The right side holds a clickable thumb dial and Back button, similar to a BlackBerry. It took us a while to get used to, but once we did, we appreciated the ability to use the phone one-handed. Above that, you'll find a Micro SD slot (card not included) for adding extra memory. The left side holds volume adjustment buttons and a port for connecting headphones (also not included). The top holds only the power button.


Side Views - Only .5 inches thick

There's no dedicated button for the speakerphone, but holding down the Start Call button for two seconds during a call activates it. The speakerphone was plenty loud during our testing.

Software
As attractive as the physical design is, it's the software that sets the Blackjack apart. It runs Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition, so it's not a workhorse (you can't edit Office documents on it), but we think it's decent for light work.

The Blackjack comes with Cingular Xpress Mail, which lets you set up push e-mail with many e-mail systems. If that doesn't work for you, you can have it check for mail on a schedule, either a preset one or one that you customize. It worked well in our testing, although it put a hit on battery life (more on that later).


                    BlackJack E-Mail

You'll also get Cingular Music and Cingular Video applications that let you enjoy your locally stored tracks (get a microSD card, if you're going to do this, as the phone only offers 64 MB RAM and 128 MB ROM) or take advantage of the high-speed network. If you live in an area with 3G access, you'll appreciate how quickly streaming audio and video loads. In our testing, clips began almost immediately, just like on a home broadband network.

          
                    BlackJack Media Apps                                                     Cingular Video

Keep in mind that most of the streaming options require an extra fee. For example, you can only use the XM Radio application for free for one week, and even then you only get a few channels. A full subscription costs $8.99 per month, which is a lot when you consider that you only get 25 of the satellite radio service's music stations, and you don't get any of the talk stations, such as those featuring Opie and Anthony or Oprah Winfrey. The streaming video choices are a bit more generous, and you can watch several clips for free, but a subscription to HBO Mobile will cost you $4.99 per month.

Performance
We tested the Blackjack in the New York City area, and found call quality mostly excellent. We noticed one time when the phone didn't ring for two calls and they went to voicemail, but that was the exception. The Blackjack is a quad-band world phone (GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900) so it's great for travelers. The high-speed network consistently delivered Web pages or streaming content quickly.

We love that the Blackjack comes with two batteries and an external charger, so you never need to wait while your phone is connected to a charger. Simply pop in the new battery and you're ready to go. The batteries are rated for 5.5 hours of talk time and 11 days of standby, and worked for about three to four days of moderate use in our testing. When push e-mail was turned on, however, the battery needed changing every day.


                    BlackJack Home Screen

The Blackjack hit one of our cell phone pet peeves, though, with its loud shut-down sound. Imagine that you're in a quiet theater and a show is about to begin. You power off your phone to make sure it doesn't ring. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Suddenly everyone hears the sounds of rockets taking off, the sound which plays whenever the Blackjack is powered-on or -off. Look, phone designers, that's annoying. Phones should turn on and off silently by default.

If you live in an area with Cingular 3G coverage and you're looking for a Cingular smartphone, the Blackjack should be at the top of your list.

Cingular is currently selling the $450 BlackJack for $200 with a two-year contract after a $100 mail-in rebate.