The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group iMate Ultimate 9502 David Hague |
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Do you need an office in your pocket? How about on-the-go 'Net connectivity and email? The iMate 9502 might just be the answer, says David Hague. |
Who would have thought that the humble telephone would become such a central
part of life. Not for everyone, I understand - my mother for example has
absolutely no idea how to use one even though I bought one for her - but many
feel almost naked without their phone.
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A lot of this has been generated by manufacturers adding more and more features
to the humble mobile. They haven't been a basic device that you simply say
"hello" to for years. Whoever thought of putting a rudimentary camera in a
mobile phone for example, was a genius and I hope they've been rewarded well!
Other attempts have been made to cash in by adding functionality - some are
amazing successes, but others,
for whatever reason, simply bomb. For example, I know of no-one that uses any
mobile that has a built in FM radio, but lots of people who use their phone as a
music player. One device from a manufacturer, long since forgotten, even had
one model with a calculator to work out a woman's monthly cycle! Of course, it
was pink as well...too much information. Now we have the next generation of Smartphones. These are computer powerhouses
in their own right as well as being a mobile phone. They can be used to browse
the 'Net, send and receive emails, synch with your desktop or laptop computer's
calendar, diary, to-do list and address book. And for the brave (in my opinion) they also contain
miniature copies of
Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook, although for the life of me, I can't even
conceive of typing a document
on one. Review a spreadsheet or story maybe, but create one? No.
I have often been quoted as saying that I use a phone to say hello and goodbye.
That's very true. But recently, I was given a new iMate Ultimate 9502 Smartphone
to play with - I'd only just got used to my Motorola RAZR9, and worked out how
to send and receive emails, so this was a major step up. |
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Emails can also be created here, and for those familiar with Microsoft Outlook
(not Outlook Express) will feel immediately at home. Setting up the details to
send and receive emails takes a little getting used
to, and you do need to know such information as server names, login and password
details exactly as
if you were setting up a standard email system. One thing to be aware of
however, is that if you set the system to check emails on a regular basis, of
course it will, but if you leave the "Leave on Server" option unchecked, it will
delete all emails and they'll never get to your
desktop system by normal automatic means. Consequently, I leave this checked and
set the interval to check emails on the
iMate every five hours. In this way, I can check manually at any time, make sure
I don't miss anything
urgent if I'm away from my desk for a period, and still have access to all
emails when I get back there.
I run a number of email accounts - my PC Update one, a Gmail one and two others
for various reasons. While I could set the iMate to check all these accounts,
currently I only have it check the major one I use. One very good suggestion
from a colleague is to have all my emails forwarded to Gmail, and then I'd only
have to check one, as it's "in the cloud" it's available just about anywhere
(via 3G technology in the phone) and is eminently searchable.
In addition to email, the iMate also has a web browser built in - Internet
Explorer. (You may detect a commonality here in that all applications are
Microsoft based. This is because the operating system of the iMate and similar
Smartphones is a special version of Windows designed for this purpose and
derived from the original Windows CE that was used on the early PDA devices).
With IE and 3G technology, you can be browsing the web just as if you were at
your desk. If you use Telstra as your telco,
you can also subscribe to get selected Foxtel services as well! The image is
small yes, but if you just want a quick catch up of the news, get a footy score
or the like, it's more than suitable.
One catch to all this connectivity though, is that unless you're
careful, you may find your
mobile phone bill creeping up beyond what you're used to!
With the iMate being a full-on computer, there is a quite a
burgeoning third party application market blooming as well. A quick check of
Google under the search criteria "mobile phone applications" found millions of
potential listings.
Drawbacks
Does this little magic box of tricks have any drawbacks? There are
a few, which while not terminal, could sway you away from this type of phone.
For example, with all this power, battery life is not as good as less
intelligent phones and you'll find yourself probably giving it a serious charge
every 36 hours or so.
The phone can be charged by either an AC adaptor (supplied) or by plugging
a USB cable into it from your PC (this can also be used to Synch data as
can a wireless connection).
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The iMate isn't bulky, but it's not light either, and you'll certainly feel the
weight in a pocket. In fact, I had a very small tear in the pocket of a pair of
jeans, and just as your big toe finds a hole in the bedsheet, so the iMate found
this! The learning curve can be steep too. That's not a fault with the phone per se - it's just that it does so much! With an optional add on, it can even turn into a GPS, although I didn't try that as I consider a GPS should be an integral part of a car thus stopping the temptation of fiddling with a phone when driving. If all you want is a phone to talk, send SMS, take the occasional photo and perhaps keep phone numbers and addresses, the iMate Ultimate 9502 will be extreme overkill. If you want a fashion statement, buy an iPhone. If you want a serious office accessory and on-the-go tool, then this iMate and some of its stablemates are certainly worth a look. |
PC Update
Summary Market: Microsoft Office users who want access to the 'net and email on the go as well as a phone in one package. Rating: 8/10 Price: Depends on phone plan. Telstra has it for $100/month and $0 up front Pro: Connectivity, "blue ticked" for country connections, flexibility Con: Cost, heavy, battery life. Contact: www.imate.com |
Reprinted from the November 2008 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
