Yup – so I’m a sucker.

 But being a sucker has it’s perks and it’s lows. I went to my nearby Cingular store (turns out just an Authorized reseller) to check out the newly released Cingular BlackJack and what did I find? A sea of dumbfounded faces. No joke. So pleasantly I told them they had released a new phone today … they should check the website. Sure enough – there it was. Unfortunately it wasn’t in their store, and since it wasn’t they figured it was only an online exclusive and that those usuall stay online only for 1 month. Bummed I was. 

But then – I remembered – there’s a Cingular Corporate store not too far down the road. Hop back in the ride, drive drive drive, and there I was. I walked into th store – No BlackJack on display.

The salesperson came over and we chatted for a bit, and I asked if they had seen the BlackJack yet. "Actually" she says "Yes, I have. We just got them in this morning." Well, I guess that goes to prove … don’t always believe the first thing you hear. (FYI – I was however able to confirm with both stores that 3G is expected to be available in the Denver area by end of 1st Quarter 2007 – But more likely around February!) Expect a full review of the Cingular BlackJack once I’ve had some time… but so far – very, very cool device, and it might turn out to be very, very popular. There was another one sold in the store as I was checking out, which is a lot more movement than I saw on Zune launch day (sorry – cheap shot). Oh and don’t let the similar looking keys fool you – the keyboard on the BlackJack is a lot more use friendly than the keyboard on the i320. 

— More pics after the break.

i320 on the left – Blackjack on the right 

i320 on top – Blackjack on bottom. Notice the angle. The Blackjack has a slight hump on the back due to the camera.  

The following picture does make the BlackJack look a lot bigger. It really isn’t – it’s only slightly larger.