i-Mate PDA2K was released in the
second day of Gitex
Computer Shopper and was displayed for the public along with
other i-Mate devices in the first day of Gitex
Trade Show, both were held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Click
here to view some highlights from this year's Computer Shopper
which started in the 5th of October 2004. We may refer
to this device as “HTC Blue Angle” as it comes in different
packages for different regions under different distributors and
service providers around the world. It is also known as XDA IIs
by O2, MDA III by T-Mobile, Qtek 9090 and SPV M2000.
The brand name i-mate is
owned by Carrier
Devices which is based in Dubai. Carrier Devices have moved
their headquarters and operations to Dubai because it is the trading
hub of the region with highly developed one of the best infrastructure
facilities in the world, strategic location, no personal corporate
or sales taxes, innovations, etc… Therefore Multi-national
companies increasingly see Dubai as the obvious choice for establishing
operations in the region. As a result Carrier Devices became very
popular in our region and around the world. Carrier Devices became
the biggest distributor of all the devices manufactured by HTC including
Pocket PC Phones and Smartphones.
What makes owning an HTC device
from Carrier Devices such a pleasure is not just the after sale
services, it is the advantage of joining Club
i-Mate which offers online real time technical support, discussion
boards, online games, music, ring tones, lots of free downloads,
fast ROM updates, and a webmail-based Exchange service and Server
ActiveSync free for i-mate owners.
We have no doubt that Pocket PC
Phones became very popular in our region. A year has passed since
the first i-Mate
Pocket PC Phone "HTC Himalaya" was introduce in
Dubai during last year’s Gitex. And I published this
review which wasn’t just about the device it self, but
I also analyzed weather if it is really a leap ahead in the converged
device technology. And yes it was! Compared to it’s older
brother Qtek
1010 which is also known as "HTC Wallaby".
This time I have in my hands the
third generation high-end HTC Pocket PC Phone. What dose it offer
compared to the older i-Mate? Is it again a leap ahead in the converged
device technology or just a step ahead? Is it worth it for an existing
user to upgrade form the older i-Mate to the new PDA2K? Is it worth
the initial tag price of AED 3250 ($ 885)? Find your answers and
more in this review.
Time to take a closer look at
the new i-Mate PDA2K
i-Mate PDA2K Overview
There are key features integrated
in this device which were not available in the previous i-Mate
Pocket PC Phone. The new additions include Windows Mobile Pocket
PC Phone 2003 Second Edition which enables screen rotation on the
fly and supports VGA screen resolution (in case of i-Mate PDA2K
the screen is limited to QVGA only), GSM/GPRS Quad Band, new Bluetooth
stack, WiFi, four extra hardware buttons, integrated QWERTY keyboard
and enhanced 1490 mAh Lithium Polymer Battery.
The older i-Mate and the new PDA2K
share the following key features: Intel PXA263 Xscale Processor
with 400MHz CPU clock speed, 128 MB RAM and 64 MB ROM, VGA camera,
3.5” QVGA (240x320) 64K Color Transflective Screen and MMS
support.
i-Mate PDA2K Configurations
The device I tested in this review
comes with the following configurations:
Operating
System: Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PCs (2nd Ed)
Color:
stylish black & silver
Dimensions:
71.6mm(W) X 125mm (H) X 18.7mm (T)
Screen:
3.5 inch, 64K color Transflective Touch screen, 240 X 320 Pixels
Camera:
VGA
Keyboard:
built in 39 keys QWERTY keyboard
Inbuilt
Bluetooth™ v1.1 and Infrared
MMS
compliant
Processor:
Intel PXA263 400 MHz
Memory:
128MB RAM, 64MB ROM, with SD/MMC slot for even more memory
Battery:
Removable and rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery, up to 15
hours in PDA mode
Talk
time: up to 4 hours
Standby
time: up to 168 hours
Audio:
Crisp audio playback via WMA/AMR/AAC/MP3 full stereo player,
hands-free
Click
here to view specifications as per Carrier Devices
Note that battery performance
mentioned in this list is as per Carrier Devices and the manufacturers
recommendations. We will have our own battery tests later in this
review.
What comes in the box?
USB Cradle
AC Charger Adaptor
USB dongle
Main Battery
Two Standard Styluses
Stereo Headset
Leather case
Companion CD
User Manual
Quick Start Guide
Warranty Papers
And i-Mate PDA2K
Click on the image to view larger version:
What’s in the Companion
CD?
Microsoft Outlook 2002
ActiveSync 3.7.1
Online configurations wizard
Applications include:
Mobility:
1) Avantgo & 2) Club i-Mate
access and membership info
Entertainment:
Pocket PC Games:
1) Minesweeper, 2) Reversi, 3)
Hearts
For desktop: Microsoft Windows
Media Player 9
Also comes in the CD i-Mate wireless
driver to use i-Mate as modem to your PC or Laptop. Also there
is a link to Microsoft website for Windows Mobile-Based Pocket
PC.
And that’s pretty much all
about the Companion CD, there is nothing thrilling here, but you
can find additional stuff on Club i-mate. As a member you can access
free downloads and services. I have taken a screenshot of all the
listed free software currently offered (as on October 27,
2004) click on the following screenshot to view the full
list:
In addition you can shop for a
variety of Pocket PC applications on Club
i-Mate
Optional Accessories
The following optional accessories
are offered by Carrier Devices for all i-Mate range products:
USB
Cradle
USB
Sync Cable
Car
Charger
Car
Kit
AC
Charger Adaptor
Battery
22
pin DC Jack
Mini
SD Card - 128 Mb
Mini
SD Card - 256 Mb
Screen
protector and cleaning cloth
Stereo
Headset
Standard
protection case
Stylus
ballpoint
Standard
Stylus (3 pack)
Foldable
Keyboard
3
in 1 Travel/Car and USB kit
i-mate
WLAN SDIO Card
Car
Kit Bluetooth
How does it fit in my hands?
The device fits nicely in my hands
and it is not very heavy as you might expect from a fully loaded
high-end Pocket PC Phone. It is comfortable compared to a standard
size Pocket PC device. I have noticed there is no creaking or cracking
when you squeeze the sides or anywhere which is impressive for
a sliding-out design. Shaking it doesn’t yield any rattling
as it was in the old i-Mate Pocket PC Phone.
Click on any image to view
a larger version:
I will continue on page 2
to discuss and show design aspects
