July 11th, 2007

One of the first things you notice about the BlackJack itself is that style is definitely its watchword. The entire casing is designed with an apparent “clean lines” ethic, with little to nothing protruding from the compact form of the device itself.

Anything that would detract from the aerodynamics — for instance, the USB/audio jack, and the memory card slot — is hidden under a cover of one sort or another.

For the two aforementioned features, these are small rubber caps along the sides of the device, which you pry out with a fingernail. These are attached to the casing, so you don’t need to worry about losing them, though they might break off with long term use. Of course, these covers also serve to keep dust and debris from getting inside the connectors when the device is being carried in a pocket. 

The only thing which detracts from the BlackJack’s overall aesthetic is the bump on the top rear of the casing, where we find the 1.3 megapixel camera and the reflective patch which serves as a self-portrait mirror. 

Conclusion

It’s hard to find too much fault with the BlackJack in either specs or design. While I disagree with the selection of a proprietary port for USB and audio, and the use of MicroSD cards, they’re not fatal flaws. It’s got a very nice design, and with the available carrier discounts it’s almost insanely cheap. As far as slim keyboard smartphones go, it’s definitely a major contender.

Pros:

• 3G wireless broadband
• Ultra-slim design
• Solid construction
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• Lacks WiFi
• Proprietary USB/audio connector
• MicroSD card 

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