Smartphone Battle: BlackBerry vs. BlackJack

	The BlackJack
	Photo: Samsung

It's a dream match between two of the newest, sleekest smartphones available today: Samsung's BlackJack vs. Research In Motions' (RIMM Quote) new 8800 BlackBerry.

At stake in the showdown is no less than the national title of Best New Email Phone. So let's get to the hard-hitting qwerty-on-qwerty keyboard action.

In one corner, clad in a high-gloss black polycarbonate shell with chrome side rails, weighing in at a substantial 4.73 ounces, is the half-inch-thin BlackBerry 8800.

In the opposing corner, in rubberized black plastic, is the svelte BlackJack at 3.74 ounces, nearly a full ounce lighter.

Both phones work on the AT&T (T Quote) network, and to the casual observer, the differences may be a little hard to appreciate. The top half of each is a screen and the bottom half is a standard mini keyboard. But each device brings a different set of skills.

The 8800 BlackBerry is a top-notch email device, almost as good as its smaller kin, the BlackBerry Pearl.

The lightweight BlackJack, on the other hand, has speed on its side. The BlackJack works on 3G technology, a faster wireless Net connection. In practical terms, the BlackJack loads pages in about 15 seconds, which is about half the time the 2G-equipped BlackBerry takes.

Neither phone has a fantastic browser, but the BlackJack turns in the most varied performance. Some sites are viewable in their full-page glory. On other sites, the pictures crowd the text. Sentences may render vertically, each word stacked on top of another in long columns. And adjusting the BlackJack for a desktop view requires you to scroll side to side to see the full page. ...