(Sorry Mr Shakespeare…)
I recently had the opportunity to upgrade my favourite PDA – the i-mate JasJam to their new offering – the i-mate Ultimate 9502.
The Ultimate 9502 is definitely no lightweight – at 200g there is a lot of technology packed into its 116 x 60mm body.
Why chose the Ultimate 9502?
Being the first HSUPA capable phone on the Australian market, you can experience Telstra’s NextG network at its finest, giving you peak network uplink speeds of up to 1.9Mbps.
A quick look at the spec sheet made me shudder. Not so many years ago (well okay, it was quite a few years ago…) I released a revolutionary range of personal computers with IBM – the PS/2 – an evolution of the original IBM PC. The most powerful of these computers could not compete with the Ultimate’s power and speed.
- The 2.8 inch TFT touch screen with 262k colours gives you all the information you need in a readable space.
- A 3 megapixel camera is certainly an improvement on its predecessor – the JasJam.
- WiFi 802.11b/g is great for connecting to your home wireless lan or hotspots.
If you are like me, with a zero sense of direction, the inbuilt GPS receiver is great. I have tried both WhereiS (www.whereis.com) and Google Maps (maps.google.com.au) – and now have no excuse for not turning up. You can also purchase commercial navigation software that will provide the spoken commands found on dedicated GPS units.
Data entry via the touch screen or the full qwerty keyboard is easy – however I do prefer my JasJam keypad – my fingers are a little bit too big for the Ultimate’s keys. Something I will have to get used to.
Ever wondered what you can do with the videos you shoot on your handset? The folk at i-mate have covered this off – by providing you with a video out cable that will let you share your pics and videos with family and friends. Won’t they just love you for that! Whilst the quality is not high resolution, the TV or projector access is a plus.
Operating on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, the Ultimate comes with some familiar Microsoft Office products – albeit in a “light” version – Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and Powerpoint Mobile. Also making an appearance are Windows Media, Windows Live and Internet Explorer.
You can set up your email account, download your BigPond Music, or watch Telstra Mobile Foxtel – its all there for you.
One of the nicest features I found was the SIM Manager – a great bit of security for your numbers. Ever lost your phone or worse still had it stolen and had some sensitive information on it like emails, photos and contacts you don’t want to share with strangers?
Secure i-Q will be your new best friend. In simple terms, it allows you to remotely clear all information on your i-mate phone if you lose it – to prevent the lucky finder from getting your private details. And you can also sound off an alarm on your i-mate, all from the comfort of your PC. One more anti theft feature – if someone puts a new SIM card into your phone, the Ultimate 9502 can still lock the phone down making it useless to any thief. Now that’s neat.
My only criticism of the Ultimate 9502 is the time it takes to boot up. But in its defence, it is doing a lot of work bringing me all these great features.
I am definitely going to unhitch myself from the JasJam and go with the upgrade! The positives far outweigh the negatives.
I give the i-mate Ultimate 9502 an 8 out of 10!