Hard Resetting the Samsung BlackJack II

How can someone go about doing a hard reset on this device?  If you’re looking to wipe the device clean and return it to factory settings - that means removing all of your personal settings and data stored on the deivce, then the easiest way is to press Start \ Settings \ Security \ Reset and then follow the prompt to wipe the device and/or the storage card.

But what happens if you’ve managed to really mess things up and you can’t get the phone started?  No problem.  With the phone powered off, press and hold UP on the directional pad.  Then, turn on the device and continue to hold the UP key until you see a message on the screen.  You will be prompted to select 1 for reset or any other key to cancel. I recommend doing this with the device connected to power or with a fully charged battery. I can only imagine the mess that would result if the battery ran dry during the hard reset process.

Samsung’s Smashing New Smartphones

Samsung has officially announced four new Windows Mobile devices. There was no mention of price or availability of the 3 Windows Mobile Professional and 1 Standard devices. However, it is expected that they will be available in the next couple months. The Professional devices all build off the incredibly successful Omnia product line. The first device is the Omnia II which will feature a large 3.1 inch AMOLED display with 480×800 resolution, 800 MHz processor, TouchWiz 2.0 user interface, and Samsung’s Dolfin internet browser that supports viewing of up to 5 web pages simultaneously. The Omnia II, also known as the Jet, will also sport a 5 megapixel camera, GPS, FM Radio, Bluetooth, WiFi, DNSe and SRS Sound Effect technology, as well as DivX and Xvid video support. The Omnia Pro will have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard allowing fast and easy text input. The 4 row keyboard will slide on the left side of the device. The Omnia Lite will scale things down a little with a 3 megapixel camera and aGPS.

The final phone, and the only Windows Mobile Standard based device announced, is built from the extremely popular BlackJack I/II line of devices. The new Omnia Pro B7320 phone is very much the same as the Samsung Jack that has been released on AT&T’s network. The only noticeable difference in features is that the B7320 model will add an FM Radio.

The Omnia II and Omnia Pro devices appear to be very nice units. I’m not so sure about the Lite at this time, we’ll have to wait and see how that one turns out. And the B7320 (Jack) device is a solid follow-up to the BlackJack II. Samsung is sure moving hard and fast in the mobile space. It will be interesting to see what HTC announces later this month at their big event.

Unboxing the Samsung Jack at Mobility Minded

Johan van Mierlo was able to get his hands on the new AT&T Samsung Jack smartphone and has filmed an unboxing video showing off the device in all of it’s glory. The Jack sports a similar keyboard to that of the Motorola Q9, but as the picture below shows, the Jack’s keyboard is a smaller due to the overall device being smaller. Samsung will be releasing a Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade to the Jack later this year. Samsung and AT&T recently released the Propel Pro smartphone, which is similar to the Jack but the keyboard slides up and underneath the screen. Check out the full unboxing videos over at MobilityMinded.com (Part 1, and Part 2) and let us know your thoughts on this device. Is there a Samsung Jack in your future? 

AT&T Set to Release New Samsung Jack Smartphone

This past week, AT&T announced another Samsung smartphone that will be added to their line-up.  The new phone is called the Samsung Jack, not to be confused with the Samsung Jack being offered on the Canadian GSM carrier – Rogers, which is actually a BlackJack II. This new Jack runs Windows Mobile 6.1 but will be upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5 when the time comes. The new Jack adds WiFi, a 3megapixel camera and a new keyboard design. The new keyboard is more like the one found on the Motorola Q than on previous BlackJack models.  There are no more spaces between the keys on this new layout. I actually prefered the keyboard on the old BlackJack and didn’t care for the keyboard on the Q because of that space.  I found it much easier to find the keys without looking at the keyboard. So it might take a little getting use to for some of us. It’s getting very hard to decide what my next device should be. I’m still lusting after the Propel Pro which was released a couple weeks back.

The Samsung Jack will be available on May 19th for $100 after a mail-in rebate and a 2 year contract.

MTV’s Samsung c6620 Reviewed at WindowsMobileItaly

Diego Magnani over at WindowsMobileItaly.com has posted a review of Samsung’s C6620 smartphone.  This is one of the devices that Samsung showed off at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. The device is running on Italy’s TIM network and sold under the MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) MTV. Samsung has produced a number of devices based on that BlackJack footprint and it looks like this approach is working very well for them.  Each version has some slight modifications.  With this version, they have increased the screen size from 2.4 to 2.6” and removed some of the network radio’s.  This phone is great for use in Europe, but doesn’t fair well when it’s brought to North America.

You can check out Diego’s full review translated to English (thanks to Google) here, or the original version in Italian is here.

Samsung Is Hitting The Mark Here

There are no two ways about it, Samsung really is creating a nice little buzz with their latest Qwerty Smartphone.  The Propel Pro is just a fantastic Windows Phone running Windows Mobile Standard.

The more I read about this great little phone the more I salivate!  I think the hardware design (vertical slider) is a fantastic compromise and the Propel Pro adds a few things beyond the norm such as a first ever 320 x 320 display.  The keyboard looks to be great and the sliding mechanism springs very nicely.  To keep this thing singing all day they even come with a decent sized battery, 1500 mAh.

Since I don’t have one you won’t be getting a review here, just me going on about my cellular envy.  If you need a review there are a ton available, just Google it, baby!

Actually, here are some of the better video reviews to get you started:

Phonedog    Mobilitysite    Phonescoop    Pocketnow

Samsung, if you are listening (pshh, course they are!), Mike and I will each take one.  Thanks.

These are available through AT&T, so if you feel…propelled (bite me, its late) head on over and pick one up.

AT&T Makes the Samsung Propel Pro Official

AT&T has announced the new Samsung Propel Pro smartphone will be available on their network in April. This new device is based on the popular Propel model but features Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard as it’s operating system. The silver and chrome slider smartphone sports a full QWERTY keyboard.  Unlike the typical side - sliders we’ve seen in North America, the Propel Pro, like the Propel and Samsung i620 from Europe, slides down to reveal the keyboard. While we don’t have an official spec sheet at this time, so we can’t confirm if there is a GPS or not. It does appear that the Propel Pro has a 3.0 mega pixel camera and supports WiFi, both of which are noticeable in the pictures.  

Looking closely at the pictures, it also appears that the Propel Pro could be the first Windows Mobile Standard device to break out of the 320×240 screen size.  It’s clear that the screen is not the typical portrait layout (240×320) as it’s much to wide a handset with the keyboard.  However, the screen appears to be longer than that of the BlackJack II. It’s also pretty clear that it’s not square as the height of the screen is noticeably more than the width.  Perhaps we’re looking at a 320×400 screen?

I can’t wait to learn more about this new device.  The bigger screen resolution and small footprint could make for interesting competition to HTCs Maple smartphone. The days are numbered for my BlackJack II.

(Source = the::unwired)

Samsung c6620 for MTV Mobile in Italy

Recently I posted about the Samsung c6620’s availability. When I posted that, it was posted on Samsung’s Netherlands website along with some local Netherlands resellers. Now it’s turned up in Italy (thanks Deigo for the tip!) and this version appears to be the same phone, just with added mobile operator branding – and a funky new design on the back.  The phone is being marketed by MTV Mobile, a MVNO in Italy running on the TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) network. The new back design is pretty neat, but the phone is still limited specifications for use outside of Europe. Otherwise, I think I would have ordered one already. I’m a big fan on non-touch screen devices, especially when they have a QWERTY keyboard on it as well. In case you couldn’t already tell.

You can see all the specs for this phone along with some more pictures at the WindowsMobileItaly.com website (Here’s a Google Translation to English).

Samsung’s New c6620 is Already Available

The c6620 is one of the new phones that Samsung showed off last month at Mobile World Congress. That didn’t take very long at all. This new model resembles the ever-popular BlackJack line of smartphones running Windows Mobile Standard 6.1. The keyboard has a slightly different design and the keys look to be a little shorter in height. The screen is larger at 2.6” compared to that of the BlackJack II with 2.4”. The biggest difference is in the radio. The c6620 only sports a Tri-Band GSM (900, 1800, 1900) and a single band 3G / UMTS (2100), making this device all but useless here in North America. I hope Samsung has more up it’s sleeve, because this seems to fall short.

If you’re looking for more information, you can check out Samsung’s Netherlands website. (Thanks to Remo for the tip!)

HTC Responsible for 80% of Windows Mobile Device Sales

It shouldn’t come as a big surprise to hear that HTC has sold 80% of all Windows Mobile smartphones sold to date. After all, they dominate the Million+ sellers list with 7 out of the total of 11 devices. But when you start to break down the numbers, it really starts to get interesting.

Microsoft announced at Mobile World Congress that they sold 50 million Windows Mobile devices to date, with 20 million in the last year. HTC then announced that they have sold 40 million Windows Mobile devices since they started building Windows Mobile units. And remember, they have been with Microsoft since the start and for the majority of their existence, they built devices for other companies, only bringing their brand out in the last couple years.

50 million sold, less the 40 million that HTC accounts for, and that leaves 10 million devices. Of that 10 million, we know that Samsung has 3 devices in the million sellers list. Assuming, which we all know is a bad idea, that they only sold exactly 1 million units, that means Samsung is good for 3 million out of that 10. Motorola also, has a device on the million sellers list, so they account for another 1 out of that 10. That leaves us with 6 million units. Those 6 million units are divided across the rest of the device manufacturers like Palm, Asus, LG, HP, etc…

I’m not sure if having one company control so much of the Windows Mobile devices sold is a good thing or not. It’s nice to know that they are successful in what they are doing, and that clearly shows in the quality of their devices. We all know that competition is good for the consumer. Samsung is clearly in the best position in terms of competition, but they’ve got a long way to go if they’re going to threaten HTC. The recent announcement by LG to make Windows Mobile the primary OS for their smartphones could be the competition that the market needs. LGs plans to bring 50 different Windows Mobile devices to market over the next 4 years. Even with 25 of those coming in 2012, that still leaves just over 8 devices a year over 3 years. As much as HTC has done, 8 different models could be a strong push into their market.

Ah, the times are changing! I’m looking forward to seeing what these companies can do to innovate and bring new and exciting devices to the market over the next couple years.

[from InformationWeek via MocoNews ]

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