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The Blackjack is, well, black and perhaps a touch boring because of it - so for the first case review I figured I'd try out a color case - the Monaco Sleeve in Red. The Monaco Sleeve Case for Samsung Blackjack is a leather case that will protect your Blackjack and (if you like) add some color to it. Read on for the full review.
Feel
The Monaco Sleeve case is actual leather with some nice stitching for accent around most of the openings. The rear of the case is a touch thicker than the rest as it seems to have a hard insert in there to aid in stability if you're using the beltclip. This backing serves as a kind of foundation that the rest of the case is "attached" to. This can be nice as it gives you a ridge to grip while you're holding the phone - but those looking for the absolute minimum thickness in a leather case should look elsewhere.
Otherwise the leather feels fairly high quality and the phone fits in there very nicely - sliding in without too much effort. Unlike many leather cases, there is not much "breaking in" with this case - the leather conforms to the shape of the Blackjack on the first use and the phone stays snugly in the case.
Features
The Monaco Sleeve case gives you access to all the buttons and ports on the phone (with the exception of the battery door, of course). If you're using the extended battery on the Blackjack you can expect a tight fit - actually, I wouldn't recommend using this case with the extended battery at all.
The screen is covered with a piece of clear vinyl which I appreciate, and there are holes in the back of the case to let the sound from the speaker through. Ditto for the microphone on the front.
Around the keyboard and main button board the case doesn't get in the way. The only place it's even noticeable is when pressing the buttons on the bottom, but in my use it didn't cause any problems. I actually prefer that there be that bit of leather there on the bottom - it sticks out just enough that I don't need to worry about the keyboard getting scratched up if I set the phone down on its face.
Belt Clip
The case also comes with a removable belt clip - the button screws in the back into a metal hole and attaches fairly firmly to it, though you'll probably want to give a a little torque. The clip itself allows the case the swing freely 360 degrees but does not ratchet. Overall the case sticks out a little more than I'd prefer when attached to the belt clip, but it's not too terrible.
The clip itself has a release button on the top, which is standard operating procedure. The spring on the beltclip is plenty sturdy, with enough space to accommodate a medium-to-large belt. Overall I'd say the entire clip + button + attachment is very strong - I don't expect that this case would suffer from the "sitting down in the car" syndrome that so many belt clips suffer from. Namely: popping off when you get up or sit down.
In any case, the belt clip button is removable and I actually prefer using the case without the beltclip - I'm a pocket man myself.
Conclusion
Overall the Monaco Sleeve Case for the Samsung Blackjack doesn't have a lot of surprises - it's a good leather case that holds the Blackjack well and looks good doing it. If you're looking for a solid day-to-day case, it won't do you wrong. And if you aren't afraid of a little color, I'm a big fan of the red myself, but the Pink and Tan versions ain't bad either.
