The Unloading Zone: OK, ATT: Why is the Samsung Blackjack 2 Such a Big Secret?

All the gadget and wireless phone websites and blogs are a twitter over the the latest scraps of information on ATT's upcoming Blackjack II from Samsung. My question to ATT is why are you putting us all through this?

Here's what's known so far (we think). The Blackjack II will be the Samsung i617. It will come in black and wine (red) colors. It will have Windows Mobile 6. It will have an improved camera; the bets are on 2 mega pixel but 3.2 mega pixel has been floated around too, depending on who you believe. It has GSM quad-band and HSDPA dual-band technologies for communication around the globe. As I mentioned earlier, it will come with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 with Pocket versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Internet Explorer Mobile to surf the Web, and Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile to send emails. Bluetooth wireless technology was a given and allows users to go truly wireless and discreet with friends and co-workers, and connect the BlackJack II to a computer and printer without cables. It will include an integrated MP3 Player and Video Media Player. You will also be able to store additional pictures, videos, and songs on the phones removable microSD memory card.

We know ATT will be the carrier because the i617 includes HSDPA technology for high-speed data transmission and comes with a WAP 2.0 compliant browser.

The big elephant in the room that no one is discussing is WIFI. ATT promised us, it seems like years ago, that the Blackjack II would have WIFI. ATT won't confirm or deny it nor will Samsung. Half the "reviewers" out there are convinced it will, the other half convinced it won't. I put reviewers in quotes, not out of disrespect, but the ones that actually touched an i617 could have looked and cleared that little issue up for all of us.

The 2-year contract price on the phone is rumored to be $149. That doesn't sound like a phone with WIFI but the way prices are falling, who knows? Look at the ATT Tilt: is there anything that phone won't do? And it's only $299 on a contract!

The only three things I do know for certain is that the i617 has passed FCC approval which means it's open for sale. And I know that Black Friday, the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season here in the US is only weeks away. And a friend at the local ATT phone store said ATT was holding back "a bunch" of new phones for the holidays.

So all this will be moot shortly as the Blackjack II and a plethora of other new phones will be on store shelves by the end of this month and we'll know for sure. In the case of the i617, I sure hope ATT isn't bringing us a lump of coal for Christmas.