i-mate Ultimate 8502 Smartphone
Posted by Notcot on May 23, 2010 in Handhelds & PDAs |
Product Description
Dressed for success in striking black, the ULTIMATE 8502 is ready for action. Why waitY you can send and receive emails, documents, and data fast. And you can access the internet at broadband mobile speeds. The ULTIMATE 8502 utilises the latest in global mobile device technology, with a high quality 2.6 QVGA touch screen, Wi-Fi and built in GPS.Video Out means you can connect to a digital projector, or TV and view your photos, emails, presentations and important documents on the BIG screen. And the QWERTY …
I have had this phone for three weeks now. I had a Blackberry before buying this and I have to say the specs really amaze me. It is a true business phone with touch screen and full Qwerty key board. I had to upgrade the ROM (free) to WM6.1 to use a 32GB SDHC micro sd card, but apart from that had no problems. Battery power lasts for a day with all features on which I was worried about as i do a lot of travelling, but after tweaking the settings I get about 4 days life with moderate use. Its a true business phone and not a media phone – hence camera is only 2mp, pics are not great, video is poor. can’t compare it to an iphone for the entertainment experience, but iphone is a media entertainment phone and this is a business phone. I can edit office programs on this,browse the web, send and receive emails, use skype, watch youtube and check on my flight status, it also has GPS and I use google maps while driving. The only snag is that Imate (? taken over by HTC, I’m not sure) is shut now and hence no warranty or product support once you purchase the phone. I hope mine lasts long! or I’ll have to soon change all of this praise.
Rating: 5 / 5
This 8502 is compact, not too heavy yet sturdy. Running Microsoft Windows you expect it to do the usual Windows things when it comes to needing a soft boot. Included IE browser is nothing special but you can install Opera Mobile and the whole experience changes. Can be used as a broadband dongle when connected to a PC via USB. Comes with a case, headphones, stylus and spare, cables and disks so you don’t need to buy anything other than your microSD memory card and SIM card.
Rating: 3 / 5
I was just about to purchase a new mobile having shortlisted 3 from LG, Samsung or Nokia, when I saw the offer on Amazon for the i-mate 8502. Not heard of this brand but now know of it’s relationship with HTC. Thought it worth a look, and decided to buy it. Having used it for about a month now, have been very pleased with it. Plenty of written reviews & youtube videos to look at, and previous reviewers have said it all. I thought therefore I would theme my review around observations and user experience. The phone is well equipped technology-wise with 3G, Wi-fi and the Windows 6.1 OS is not as clunky as some say- a little patience that’s all. The qvga screen is sharp enough and I’ve found it to be very responsive to finger touch as well as stylus. It has a 2.5mm jack out, but a 2.5 to 3.5 adaptor ( Maplins) enables use of better quality headphones- plug ‘phones in first before putting in/on ears to avoid the loud voice tag beep ! Sound quality is not bad in the WMP onboard, but can be bettered ( see later) Like previous reviewers, the GPS set-up puzzled me also. It’s integrated with the processor & activates only when an application is opened that requires it’s use. I’ve installed Copilot 7 sat nav & Google maps and they work perfectly. It takes a few minutes for the GPS to lock onto the satellites and gives good reception indoors. There is also the ability to use an external GPS receiver via bluetooth if necessary – my Bluenext connected easily enough. The 360 degree navigation button on the phone whilst not as user-friendly as the track-balls on others, still enables Google Street View manipulation ( & around full web pages )
I originally approached my choice of new mobile by making sure that all the applications I wanted would be met either straight out of the box or available on-line. The Windows Mobile 6.1 market has loads of useful apps and the i-mate has really come into it’s own and met most if not all my app requirements. I heartily recommend downloading the SPB user interface with it’s touchscreen scrolling & 3D revolving carousels – stunning !
To show off what the i-mate can run, here is a list of the main apps I’ve installed over & above normal Windows stuff & all recommended ( between phone memory & 8 gb SD )
Nitrogen Media Player + skins ( has pre-amp & graphic equaliser )
Divx Player
Core Player ( H264 videos !)
Google Maps
Google Translator
Copilot 7 sat nav
Opera Mobile 10 browser
Skyfire browser ( direct access to BBC iPlayer & ITV !)
Wunderadio
Web tv
Youtube Player
ClearVue PDF reader
My player
Soft reset ( on phone is under battery cover so obviates need to remove )
The 2mp camera is not very good, and no match for my SE850i , but this is a pc based business phone with no pretentions to be a decent camera. The available barcode reader needs it I suppose, and for occasional use. The i-mate 8502 is not deemed to be a good multimedia device, but to be honest I have found it to be more than capable as such; social networking , e-mailing, browsing, music & video. The screen size could be bigger, but I prefer candy-bar mobiles, and the Blackberry style external querty keyboard is cramped but usable. Where latest phones are sometimes more form than substance, the i-mate is not so. A quality product and although no warranty given, at this price it’s a steal for what it offers.
Rating: 4 / 5
Can I start by Saying for the price it’s worth every penny, the battery life is amazing. If you can’t afford the really expensive Windows smart phones, then this will be a good start.
Good item!!
Rating: 4 / 5
How do I download the profile controller for this phone, as the i-mate.com site is off now? I still dont know what to make of this gadget.The programs look great, but i cannot make it work properly as a phone,as I cannot do a proper set up of its features. How did you solve the problem?
martirev
Rating: 3 / 5