Blackjack II

• Starting today and running until Saturday Jan. 3, Best Buy Mobile will be offering the 8GB iPhone 3G for $189.99 and the 16GB version for $289.99. — The Boy Genius Report
• Despite hearing rumblings that BlackBerry Storm is not fairing well with customers, Verizon states that the Storm has been its top-selling handset of the past month. — Gizmodo
• The mobile social network Loopt has gone live on three more carriers today, making it now available on Sprint, Verizon, Metro PCS, T-Mobile, and Boost networks. — TechCrunch
• Consumer Reports has picked the Samsung BlackJack II as its top smartphone pick. — Switched
• Boing Boing makes some excellent product suggestions for a helpful tech-buying cheat sheet this holiday season. — Boing Boing
• We're not only giving away one Palm Centro this holiday season — but seven — thanks to our friends over at Palm! Be sure to log in for your chances to win! — geeksugar

It's certainly been awhile since we've heard anything about the BlackJack II smartphone by Samsung, so I'm not surprised that some freshly painted pink and blue BlackJack II's have been spotted in the wild — even though it's usually Palm making all the cell phone color changes.

AT&T hasn't confirmed this great news just yet, but these candy colored phones are said to already be arriving in stores across the country and will cost around the same price as the basic black and wine colored BJ II's. Considering they're affordable and include geeky goodies like built-in GPS and Windows Mobile 6, these may be worth watching out for. Phones will have white face plates with either a pink or blue exterior color on the back. Stay tuned indeed!
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After my brief encounter with the BlackJack II at the Samsung/AT&T launch party in LA, I knew that I needed a one-on-one test drive session with this new sleek smartphone. What's great about this wine colored phone is the fact that it is lightweight, yet it feels sturdy and durable. Since the back is lined with a soft leather-like material, you can easily grip the phone in your hand while making a call or checking messages. The most appealing features of the BlackJack II include the internal GPS which comes with the latest version of TeleNav GPS, Windows Mobile 6 functionality and the included AT&T video share capable SIM card. Also included is a standard 2.0-megapixel camera, bluetooth technology and a QWERTY keyboard with front jog wheel. What's not so hot about this phone you ask? There's no WiFi, but I think the GPS makes up for it! Priced at $150 with a 2-year contract and when you purchase it online.

Last night I put on my party dress and attended the star-studded BlackJack II by Samsung launch party in LA. Held at the hot new Mexican restaurant Beso (which officially opens mid-December) and hosted by self-confessed gadget girl Eva Longoria, my partner in crime Molly and I rocked out to a special performance by Mark Ronson and the Version Players and, best of all, got to check out the BlackJack II.

The AT&T exclusive Samsung BlackJack is a lot sleeker then I envisioned, and I was thoroughly impressed with the large 2.2-inch color display screen. This new Windows Mobile 5.0 PDA is powered by AT&T's 3G-enabled Broadband Connect network, includes an easy-to-use navigation click wheel, and comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera, which we all know is a must have! The BlackJack II boasts a full QWERTY keyboard for fast typing and Bluetooth connectivity and is available in slick black or red wine color options. After examining the BlackJack II, I was able to chat with CrunchGear's Peter Ha about cell phones and his love for his heavy 3-year-old Sidekick, which was totally adorable.

The party really got started when I kicked off my shoes and joined LC and Audrina for a dance session as we belted out Rihanna's "Umbrella." When we sat down to catch our breaths, the ladies pulled out their BlackBerrys for what else — texting! Call me a deer in the headlights, but after all our Hills tech quizzes, I didn't know if I should take a picture or start talking in text acronyms — what's a girl to do? So I joined in. But instead of using my BlackBerry Pearl, I pulled out my iPhone, hoping to score a few cool points, which I don't think happened. All in all, a very memorable evening indeed!

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