Samsung Jack i637 Review

Introduction:

The Samsung Jack i637 has departed a bit from its predecessors, the Samsung BlackJack and BlackJack II, and perhaps that explains the use of the abbreviated name “Jack” rather than calling it the BlackJack III.  Not only is there some performance upgrades, the Jack has a whole new look.  Surprisingly, though, the new look looks a little deceptive.  Although the Jack sports a sleeker-looking body that the previous square-ish BackJacks, it is physically slightly bigger with a smaller battery.

The AT&T packaging is pretty much ho-hum; nothing flashy, rather minimalist, but does the job.  Inside the Jack’s box (ahem) you will find the following:

• Samsung Jack smart phone
• “Getting Started” CD with Windows Mobile 6.1 software
• “Getting Started” Guide
• Headphone adapter
• Charger
• USB cable

Noticeably absent is a set of headphones, but a headphone adapter is provided to make it easier to use your own headphones with the Jack.

Design:

The Samsung Jack i637 bears little resemblance to the previous BlackJacks. In fact, it reminds us a lot of a BlackBerry Curve in appearance, albeit a bit sleeker.  The most noticeable difference in the Jack are the rounded corners, the mirror-like finish of the display, and a QWERTY keyboard with keys that are more square-shaped and placed close together without any space between keys.  The keyboard feels a bit cramped but doesn’t present too much of a problem for a large-fingered person .  The keyboard feels responsive and compares well with most BlackBerry phones.



You can compare the Samsung Jack i637 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The body of the Jack is plastic with a chrome-like bezel around the edges.   It has a band of the same chrome-looking material across the middle of the back bearing Samsung’s branding.  Hefting it in the hand, the Jack feels light, comfortable, and with a good build quality, albeit a little slippery.  The power button and volume rocker is on the upper left side of the phone, and the upper right side houses the charging/earphone port.  The Samsung Jack i637 uses a proprietary connector, which is a drawback.  We would rather see an industry- standard microUSB.   The port is recessed behind a plastic door - on one hand, it will be mostly free of dust and dirt, but on the other hand, accessing it by constantly opening the little plastic cover is annoying.  



Another design change that Samsung implemented was a square-shaped five-way navigation button.  On the back of the phone is a 3.2-megapixel camera, an upgrade from the previous model’s 2.0-megapixel camera.  Above the camera lens is a tiny mirror for self-portraits and above that, a tiny speaker. Unfortunately, the battery must be removed in order to insert or remove a microSD memory card.

The Jack’s screen is the same as the BlackJack II – 320 x 240 TFT display, 65,536 colors, and 2.4 inches.  It is a decent display, but lacks real crispness around the edges of text and images.  The resolution is obviously middle-of-the-road in quality.  As mentioned before, the physical size of the Samsung Jack is surprising in that it’s ever so slightly larger than the BlackJack II.  It is a little wider and slightly thicker than its predecessor, slightly heavier, and has a smaller battery.

Software/Features:

The Samsung Jack i637 is pretty much a typical Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard device with easy access to the things that are most important for a user.  Even though the home screen offers no real personalization and is just what you would expect from 6.1, the other standard features – calendar, tasks, notes, contacts, and email – does a lot of heavy lifting and will help you stay organized (just ask Ozzy Osbourne in the Jack commercial!).  The standard items for personal organizing are great, but IE simply won’t do and you are much better off downloading and installing a 3rd-party browser.



The phonebook is very straightforward and the number of contacts you can have is really just limited to the amount of memory you have on the phone.  Creating a new entry gives you the option to place the information on the SIM card or as an Outlook contact, with lots of different fields.

The 3.2MP camera is loaded with features, like exposure, white balance, several resolution options, shooting mode, and more.  The quality of the pictures is pretty good for a 3.2MP camera, especially for outdoor pictures. Still, if you want high-quality photos to capture your favorite memories, we recommend you use a stand alone camera and only use your Jack for casual picture-taking.  The Samsung Jack i637 has a video mode as well for capturing those moments in life where you want full motion and sound, but the video quality is marginal.  Video clips lack sharpness and appear a bit darker than they should be.

Outdoor sample video shot with the Samsung Jack at 320x240 pixels resolution

Indoor sample video shot with the Samsung Jack at 320x240 pixels resolution

Performance:

Housing a 528MHz processor, the Samsung Jack i637 is downright snappy.  Whether you’re scanning through your calendar or starting one of your favorite games, the Jack is very quick to respond.  Reception is very good and compares well with other AT&T and GSM phones we have used.  The sound quality is impressive – whether using normally or using the speakerphone, it’s both clear and loud.  People on the other end of the line reported that we sounded loud and clear when using the Jack.  The ringer volume is adequate and vibrate mode is robust, so if your Jack is tucked away in your cargo pants pocket, you’ll know when someone is calling.  Also, a small amber LED light flashes in the upper right corner of the front of the Jack to notify you of an incoming call.

The 1480 mAh battery is rated for up to 7 hours of use time and 12 days of standby time.  Under normal use conditions, I was able to get close to the rated times, but results will certainly vary depending on the user.

Conclusion:

The Samsung Jack is a worthy successor to the BlackJack II. If you are a fan of Windows Mobile Standard and want a smartphone that looks elegant and business-like yet is powerful and speedy, then the Jack is a safe bet. Another option is the smaller and sexier Samsung Propel Pro, but the tradeoff is that it can be a pain to always have to open the keyboard slider to use it. Other similar smartphones are the Nokia E71x which is also slim and has a full metal body, or the BlackBerry Curve 8900 with its excellent email capabilities.

Samsung Jack i637 Video Review: