The new AT&T BlackJack II or SGH-i617 Smartphone from Samsung is a great follow-up to the original BlackJack released last year.  If you haven't played with either of these devices, I highly suggest you do.  I'm really enjoying this device - even more than I did with it's predecessor.

Let's get down to the point of this post.  How can someone go about doing a hard reset on this device?  If you're looking to wipe the device clean and return it to factory settings - that means removing all of your personal settings and data stored on the deivce, then the easiest way is to press Start \ Settings \ Security \ Reset and then follow the prompt to wipe the device and/or the storage card. 

But what happens if you've managed to really mess things up and you can't get the phone started?  No problem.  With the phone powered off, press and hold UP on the directional pad.  Then, turn on the device and continue to hold the UP key until you see a message on the screen.  You will be prompted to select 1 for reset or any other key to cancel.

I recommend doing this with the device connected to power or with a fully charged battery. I can only imagine the mess that would result if the battery ran dry during the hard reset process.