The Real BlackJack Slider (1/3)
Samsung Propel Pro with Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
INTRODUCTION
It was the days before the iPhone, and Cingular got it right with the BlackJack. It was among the first candybar-style messaging devices, and it was a huge hit. Cingular became AT&T, and during that time, they released the BlackJack II, which turned out to be another winner, but not as popular as the original. Getting away from the BlackJack franchise, AT&T is out with what should have been called the "BlackJack Slider" - the Propel Pro. Does this device continue the legacy of the BlackJack-like devices, or does it miss the mark? Read on for more!
WHAT'S HOT
Let's talk specs. The Propel Pro is running with a Qualcomm MSM7201A CPU clocking at 528MHz. It has 256MB ROM and 128MB of RAM with microSD expansion (hot-swappable). It has quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and triband UMTS (850/1900/2100) with HSDPA. It has Bluetooth 2.0, aGPS, WiFi (B and G), and a light sensor. On the back is a 3.0MP camera with auto focus but no flash. Powering everything is a 1440mAh battery. For even more specs, check out PDAdb.net.
(all images link to larger versions)
The Propel Pro has a similar form factor to the BlackJack, but has a higher resolution screen (by 60 pixels vertically) and slide-down keyboard.
Here's a shot of the box.
Inside the box we have a charger, sync cable, and some documentation. Hmm...where is the case and 3.5mm headphone converter?
Here is the unboxing video in case you missed it.
THE DEVICE
The slider actually has functionality - it will answer calls, plus lock/unlock the hardware keys. Nice!
The Propel Pro is covered with a shiny fingerprint-prone coating, which is all plastic. The device feels a bit cheap because of this.
On the top of the device, we see the light sensor next to the speaker.
Getting closer to the hardware buttons, we see the two soft keys that are raised and thus easy to feel for. Below that are the typical call start/end keys, home, and back. In the center is the cumbersome joystick.
The joystick is cumbersome because it doesn't stick out enough...so flipping through emails and other lists is slow and uncomfortable at times.
The area surrounding the D-Pad is an indicator light. It glows red when charging, green when full, and purple when you have a new email. There is no way to turn this off to conserve battery.
The keyboard on the Propel Pro is pretty outstanding - if you have small or medium-sized hands. The keys are slightly raised and mashed together like the Q9h.
The keyboard is backlit when in use so that you can type in dark places.
Over on the left side, we see the power button on left, volume rocker, and microSD slot, which is hot-swappable.
And on the right side, we have Samsung's proprietary jack for syncing/charging/audio.
Flipping over to the back, we find a large piece of the mirror-like chrome finish. After one day of careful use, this area already had scratches.
The 3.0 autofocus camera is surrounding by a piece of brushed metal which looks great. I wish they'd use this on other parts of the device! No flash is present with the camera, sadly.
Here is a hardware tour of the Propel Pro.
COMPARISONS
Here we have the family of BlackJack-like devices. From left to right, the BlackJack, BlackJack II, Epix, Propel Pro, Moto Q9h, and Pantech Matrix Pro.
Here they are in the same order, stacked. The Propel Pro is a pretty thick device.
