Smartphone Thoughts: From the Perspective of a Pocket PC Veteran - Samsung�s Blackjack SmartPhone Reviewed

So how did the Blackjack do overall?
Let�s summarize the Blackjack�s results in all of these tests:


Figure 16: The final summary. Click on the image for a larger view.

It seems like Samsung was successful in effectively merging the functions of a cell phone and a PDA without too many compromises. The Blackjack performs most cell phone tasks as well as a dedicated cell phone and most PDA tasks as well as a dedicated PDA.

So do I now have the one near-perfect device that can replace all of the others? Well, for my preferred use, not really. The laptop lite functionality that I described earlier on is still important to me. While the Blackjack�s QWERTY keyboard is a good option for a SmartPhone design, I�ve been using touch screen entry for years for note taking at meetings and I find it to be very effective. And while Documents To Go is a suitable alternative for light to moderate Office document access, the power of PlanMaker and TextMaker on the N560 is hard to give up once you�re gotten used to it.

The main issue for me is my �power user� use of my Pocket PCs over the years. I�ve figured out ways to leverage those devices as a convenient and very portable substitute for my laptop for certain tasks when I�m away from my desk. But the N560 doesn�t replace my laptop. When I�m at my desk, I take advantage of the laptop�s powerful processor, much greater variety of software and the full size peripherals (keyboard, monitor, etc.) that the docking station provides. Aside from the gadget freaks at Pocket PC Thoughts and other sites, most of the people that I know with PDAs use them much more like a powerful organizer and much less like a laptop than I do.

The truth be told, I�ve actually used 2 Pocket PCs for years, one for business use and one for personal use. My business calendar, task list and contact list are constantly clogged with huge amounts of information, so I decided a while back that my business Pocket PC would contain all of my business information along with critical pieces of personal information. My personal Pocket PC contains all of my personal information, as well as entertainment items such as games, e-books, videos, etc. When I�d buy a new and more advanced Pocket PC, that would become my business unit and the former business unit would be changed over for personal use. The other advantage is that this approach made it easy for me to rationalize having more toys, a key consideration for a certified geek like me.

So for me, the Blackjack serves primarily as my cell phone, but as a much more powerful PDA than any cell phones I�ve used prior to it. The robust PIM capabilities are a huge advantage and, when the need arises, the Blackjack can manage access to Office documents and text processing. As such, the Blackjack is roughly 90% of the PDA that the N560 is for me, as opposed to the roughly 60% that the Razr was. I get almost all of the functionality that I need from a PDA in a device the size of a cell phone, one that I can carry unobtrusively in my pocket at just about all times. So the Blackjack actually has converged 2 devices for me� my cell phone and my �personal usage� PDA. At work, I still use the N560 as my laptop substitute. From 3 devices (cell phone, personal PDA and business PDA) to 2 (SmartPhone and business PDA). I guess that could be classified as progress�

So some of you might ask �why don�t you get a Pocket PC phone? Then you�d have a fully functional PDA with phone capabilities.� For me, the issue is size� the Pocket PC phone form factor is larger than I prefer a cell phone to be. But for those who are willing to trade full PDA functionality for svelte size, the Pocket PC phone is the convergence device for them.