BlackJack revisited: Samsung readying "Ace" smartphone for Sprint?

From a distance, this thing looks just a little too much like the BlackJack (the old one, not the new) for comfort -- but when you zoom in a bit, it looks like Samsung's spinning a few cute touches into its SPH-i325 "Ace" for Sprint. Mobiledia has this one pegged for the first quarter of next year, offering a Windows Mobile Standard alternative to the BlackBerrys of the world with a slim shell, QWERTY keyboard, and landscape QVGA display; it's probably not going to make any BlackJack II owners envious, but at least this gives Sprint customers a chance to keep up with the Joneses. Even better, Boy Genius Report claims that we might see a little GSM radio stuffed in there for the globetrotters in the crowd. Anyone have an old Samsung Ace for Mobile ESPN, by the way?

[Via Boy Genius Report]

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 5th 2007 4:42PM]

It looks kinda cool, but I'm sick of getting cool phones either at the end, or after their life cycle. Sprint needs to step it up a notch.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 5th 2007 5:37PM]

what a stupendous waste of space - could they make the screen a little smaller and the navigation keys a little bigger? oh wait! They did!

[Mark Larson Posted Dec 5th 2007 6:16PM]

Yeah seriously. A 2.2" screen with a small keyboard, all in a huge shell. Thanks Samsung!

[jd Posted Dec 6th 2007 12:24AM]

yup, the screen looks pathetic.

could they make the sprint logo a little larger, so i don't forget what carrier i'm using?

[compboss17 Posted Dec 5th 2007 6:15PM]

Sloppy Seconds!

[derX Posted Dec 6th 2007 6:50PM]

Isn't it supposed to be "Sloppy Seconds" or is there something I am missing, here?

[derX Posted Dec 6th 2007 6:55PM]

Sorry, I am an ass. I thought it read "Stoppy Seconds." xD

Hey, these certainly aren't sloppy seconds. AT&T had the BlackJack, Sprint's going to have the Ace. They have two totally different name thus are two totally different devices. Everyone knows that, just the same way the TyTN II is completely different from the Kaiser.

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BTW, why is it when they make CDMA versions of a GSM series of phones, they give an outdated version, normally (a notable exception is the VZW's RAZR Maxx Ve or whatever the hell it was called)? I mean, the GSM world is playing with the BlackJack II while CDMA will just get a reworked version of the BlackJack. Sucks to be them *plays with GSM phone*.