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I have a Motorola Q because I wanted Windows Mobile. From what I've read about the Blackjack, I think I'd prefer to have it as the Motorola Q is still wider than I prefer. But both of them are better than the Blackberry on thickness. But I definitely prefer Verizon over Cingular for reception; never had a problem with Verizon in Atlanta yet constantly had problems with Cingular.

However, the main problem that I have with the Motorola Q is that is email sync is very unreliable. I don't know if this is a Windows Mobile issue or a Verizon software issue, but I know that friends who have BlackBerries have email delivery that is stone reliable.

So I think the answer to the question is this: Yes if can compete, but ONLY if is has stone reliable email synchronization. If it does, it's a killer. If not, Blackberry still blows everything else away, and I wish I had one instead of the Q.

A few short and not-so sweet thoughts:

1. It's not a Blackberry, so unless it can bring something unique to the game - which I can't see - people will still prefer to buy Blackberry as it's fast becoming the de-facto standard in mobile email.
2. If you're looking for an alternative to the Blackberry, why pick the Blackjack over Nokia's E61i, E61 or low-budget E62?
3. Cingular only? That might make sense to Cingular, it doesn't make much sense to me. if you have a nationwide or even International corporation, you are going to want to have the same devices in the hands of all your mobile email enabled employees.

[Note: For this article, I have picked the RIM BlackBerry 8800 for comparison.]

Ever since its launch with Cingular, who seem to have grabbed the lion's share of the smart phone market, Samsung's new smart phone, the BlackJack, has created a lot of buzz for more than one reason. Targeted to compete head-on with the likes of the BlackBerry 8800 from RIM, Samsung has come up with a very interesting concept in BlackJack adding up new features like 3G etc. So far Samsung has been successful in ruffling up the BlackBerry with the use of the "BlackJack" name. Let’s checkout if the BlackJack really has what it takes to beat the BlackBerry 8800 and which one of the two is good enough to make into your briefcase.

Design:

Let's admit that most smart phones are more or less business phones, so keeping that in mind, its only fair to say that neither the 8800 or BlackJack break new grounds in terms of design. The Samsung BlackJack at 4.4x2.3x0.6 inches and 3.5 ounces is clearly thinner and lighter of the two and also looks quiet sexy with the all black casing. There are turn-offs too. The screen of the BlackJack is just about 2.2-inches on the diagonal and also the fact that the screen isn't a touch pad makes it all the more difficult. But as expected it makes the best out of whatever it has producing 65,000-color output and 320x320 pixel resolution making way for great images and video. When compared with BlackBerry 8800, the 8800 has a larger screen measuring at 2.5-inch (diagonal), also producing 65,000-colors with a 320x240 resolution. And when it comes to the casing, I would prefer any day the glossy black of the 8800 over BlackJack's slim-trim shell. The BlackBerry's trademark trackball is far more comfortable for long-term use than the click-wheel of BlackJack. Both phones feature a full QWERTY keyboard. But the number pad in BlackJack is somewhat cumbersome as it spaces out the numbers 1-9 over 18 keys, with a key in between each numeral, which is a bit irritating at times to find the highlighted number pads in the sea of black keys. To an extent they've made up with the introduction of the thumbwheel, which actually can be pressed to select items; a Back button in the same location helps to escape current menus and applications. But still the Trackball of the BlackBerry is any day better equipped and easy to navigate with, than the click/thumb wheels of the BlackJack.

Winner: RIM BlackBerry 8800

Calling:

Probably the most important aspect of a phone is to make and receive calls, be it a smart phone or a phone which is not smart enough! Well, as mentioned earlier, the calling in BlackJack can be a bit cumbersome with the tragically placed number keys. Really, Samsung has to address this soon and do something about it. The learning curve is a bit steep when it comes to this. Apart from that the BlackJack can boast of Windows Mobile's excellent calling features, which includes live, dialing menu and a contact list that synchronizes with Outlook. On the other hand, the 8800 boasts of a newly introduced noise cancelling technology. But I for the one feel it isn’t something which classify under 'cutting-edge' and also there isn't a drastic change in the sound, but still enough to cause BlackJack a worry or two. In addition to that, the BlackBerry also features AT&T's push to talk for walkie-talkie like connections and contact availability checking, making it a clear winner here as well.

Winner: RIM BlackBerry 8800

Multimedia:

BlackJack being a 3G phone, supports Cingular Video and Cingular Music, letting you enjoy streaming video clips from the carrier's 3G service as well as support for Napster and other music subscriptions. Also with Samsung BlackJack being a 3G HSDPA, it’s obvious that it has a superior connectivity over BlackBerry's EDGE-only network. Surprisingly BlackBerry has more multimedia features than BlackJack. The feature list includes Windows Media Player synchronization, GPS-navigation with TeleNav integrated with the contact list, for easy driving directions, but the GPS just isn’t good enough. No wonder with all these above features, 8800 still came up short when compared with BlackJack's multimedia capabilities. The superior connectivity with 3G and HSDPA make the BlackJack a more versatile handset than the Blackberry 8800.

Winner: Samsung BlackJack

Messaging and Organizer:

Both the phones are very good when it comes to messaging as both support push e-mail and come with built-in messaging clients from their respective OS developers. Apart from the number keys, it is believed that the BlackJack's QWERTY are better than the BlackBerry's keyboard.

Winner: Neutral

Battery Life:

The BlackBerry 8800's battery is rated for 5 hours of talk time and up to 22 days of standby time. The Samsung BlackJack is rated for 5.5 hours of talk time and up to 11 days of standby time. The BlackBerry supposedly exceeds its rated battery life by a whopping 50%. No such luck for the BlackJack.

Winner: RIM BlackBerry 8800

Final verdict: