Though it's (presumably) later than originally intended, the T-Mobile Shadow II has finally landed on the FCC's approval list. Sure, the documents were submitted back in June, but these things take time.

As you can see from the photos above and below, we're looking at a pretty hot little job here. Not enough for you? There's a full manual to hit up as well, though we're hoping that the lack of @home references in there is a sign that it's not a final version of the manual, not that the feature has been stripped. Luckily, the boys at phonescoop noted that there's a separate battery life listing for UMA (120 hours standby vs 340 for GSM), so we're holding out hope for some VOIP action.

Otherwise, assuming the manual is correct, we're going to keep that fancy Shadow homescreen, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Edge. More good news is that dial-up networking stays.

What say you? Isn't it about time T-Mo gave us some new WinMo?

FCC Docs via phonescoop

Casey writes in to let us know that the on-again, off-again download page for the Windows Mobile 6.1 Update for the BlackJack II is on again -- this time with live links for Windows Mobile 6.1.

• BlackJack II 6.1 Download for Windows XP
• BlackJack II 6.1 Download for Vista

As always with any Windows Mobile ROM update, be sure you have all your apps ready to re-install and all your PIM data ready to re-sync. As always with BlackJack updates, the process is a briar-patch filled with modem downloads, pitfalls, and convoluted instructions, so set aside a good hour at least to get it done.

Thanks, Casey!

This is the week for Windows Mobile 6.1 updates, innit? First came the AT&T Tilt Update, then the XV6800 Update, and now we have a tip from Jared that you can get the Windows Mobile 6.1 update for the BlackJack II officially as well.

• Here's your XP download
• Here's your Vista download

As is standard operating procedure with BlackJack updates -- this update is a major pain to set up -- requiring odd modem driver installations and secret key codes. Follow the instructions to a T.

It's been quite awhile since we showed you a video hands-on with Windows Mobile 6.1 on the BlackJack II, so we embedded that above to give you a taste of what you'll be looking at with this update. We'll be interested to see how this final ROM looks. We're hoping that it brings a little more speed to the BJII to help bring it up to par with Windows Mobile 6.1 on the Q9h. Maybe, just maybe, the competition between the two devices deserves another round?

Thanks, Jared!

Update: Yeah, not yet. As happened with the AT&T Tilt update, we have a download page claiming that it will provide you with a 6.1 update but no actual 6.1 update to be had. Samsung's byzantine update system combined with the fact that I'm on a Mac here added up to me missing the truth here. Thanks again to Jared for setting us straight.

Also: the above links have been taken down. Let's hope we see them again soon.

Update X2: Well, the instruction pages are back up, but the links to actually download the software updates are down. We recommend you use the time you'd normally spend spamming “refresh” on that page reading the instructions. We're not kidding, they're complex.

Here we go again with the leaked images, this time courtesy of cellphonesignal.com [via Cell Fanatic]. It does look quite a bit cuter in silver than it does in glossy black, dontcha think? Rumor has it that it will not sport 3G, which is a bummer, but WifFi and Hotspot@Home (which lets you use WiFi to talk for free) would go a long way towards making up for that. So would Windows Mobile 6.1 and a larger battery (1100mAh), which we're also supposed to get.

There ya go, kids, a quick unboxing and Video First Look at the Samsung BlackJack II, available for $149.99 with contract from AT&T. It's a little shorter than we'd prefer, but as we mentioned earlier it's a travel day for us. We'll definitely have more later, because we respectfully disagree with the Boy Genius's assessment that the Q9h is better than the BlackJack II. No sir: the BJII is tops in our book. We'll explain later, we promise.

Our First Look at the BlackJack II is coming just as soon as YouTube finishes processing it. Meanwhile, if you're one of the lucky ones to have picked up this mamma-jamma, MoDaCo has a download for you. See, the BlackJack II has GPS built-in, but by default it only wants to work with TeleNav (an issue we were worried about from the get-go):

[...]there is a problem with the implementation on the Blackjack (and in fact the Moto Q9H I understand, a device I believe this patch will help with too). The problem is that although the GPSID is configured and applications such as the built in Telenav and Windows Live Search can use the system fine, there is no COM port exposed to allow the vast majority of applications that use this connection method to use the GPS. DOH! And with no UI to configure it, you quickly hit a brick wall.

Well Nick Paul O'Brien over at MoDaCo has put together a little app that sets the GPS to COM4. You care about that because it allows other Windows Mobile apps, like Windows Live Search, Virtual Earth Mobile, or Google Maps, to utilize the GPS.

It also “app unlocks” the device so you can re-order the start menu. Be careful with the re-ordering, though, as in my case moving AT&T's apps around seems to have broken MEdia.net and thereby made PocketIE complain a lot.

Big Ups, Paul!

Read: Samsung Blackjack II GPS... ACTIVATED! - MoDaCo

(edit: Fixed the credit on the article, that's what I get for trying to post quickly on my way out the door!)

See that in the title - apparently it's not cool to put a space after the word “black” anymore. Anyhow - the update to the Blackjack is supposed to land on AT&T's shores November 21st, the same day as the Motorola Q9c hits Sprint. The Blackjack II is essentially just a refresh of the original Blackjack, but it does have some improved specs (including Windows Mobile 6, a much bigger battery, and AGPS). We got a look at it at CTIA, click here for the pics and our first impressions.

Overall we're actually pretty excited for the Blackjack II - it's not a stunner, but it's a solid refresh. We especially like the 5-way/scroll wheel - Microsoft should really force their manufacturers to make that standard issue.

A quick note - that AGPS - it's the standard “kinda sorta GPS” that we're starting to get to know, and it's very likely only going to work with TeleNav.

Read: pocketnow.com - Release Date for the Samsung BlackJack II Announced