This is the same type of VGA
camera that came in the previous i-Mate. I was hoping to see
at least a 1 Mega Pixel camera in this device. This camera may
not make great photo albums but at least is can be used for MMS
messaging. But with this high-end Pocket PC Phone I won’t
settle for this type of camera.
The camera application has improved;
there is an additional option to record video clips for MMS messaging
only.
Explore some menus and functions
from the following screen shots:
When in Video Capture Mode
or Image Capture sub-mode you can press “Up” navigational
button to Zoom In the incoming video stream, each time you
press the “Up” button, the enlargement increases
by 0.2. When the zoom limit has been reached for the current
mode/capture size, a beep will sound.
In addition to the basic Pocket
PC applications, i-Mate PDA2K comes with the following programs:
KSE TrueFax
KSE
TrueFax which is a very useful program to send and receive
fax on your mobile device. This application is sold for $39.90,
but it comes free with PDA2K, and it doesn't require any configurations
you just need to have a Fax/Data channel on your SIM card subscription
from your operator.
Album
Also the device comes with Album
which is formerly known as IA Album developed by IA Style, but
it has been acquired by HTC and became part of the corporation.
This application is designed for image viewing, browsing, managing,
annotating, presentations, sharing, and more. It is fully integrated
into i-Mate PDA2K for MMS and Camera applications.
xBackup
i-Mate PDA2K comes with a backup
utility called xBackup. It is the same one which came in i-Mate
Pocket PC Phone. It will simply backup your full data or just
your contacts and appointments and store the backup file on the
storage card. It is not as fast or as powerful as Sprite
Backup, but it works flawlessly.
Imaginet Pocket Arabizer Suite
In addition to the above, the
device also comes with Imaginet
Pocket Arabizer Suite, which includes an Arabic system to
read and write in Arabic with the Pocket PC operating system,
it also comes with Hijri Calendar, Prayer Times and Arabic-English
bidirectional dictionary. This adds to the value of this device
for Arabic users. Though we have to note that the device comes
also without Arabic features installed, Carrier Devices offers
two versions in the Middle East. It is also worth to mention
that this is not the only Arabic customization software available
in the market, there are other software solutions as mentioned
in this
thread.
MIDlet Manager
i-Mate PDA2K supports Java 2Edition,
J2ME. This application to allow downloading of Java applications
such as games and tools. I have tried to install a game called "MIDP
Street Fighter 1.0.0" from midlet.org and
it worked smoothly. To install this game you will have to copy
the .jad or .jar file to "My Midlets" folder
which is located in:
My Device / My Documents /
My Midlets
Then you will have to go to MIDlet
Manager from the program menu. Take a look at the following screenshots
with application version appearing in the "About" screen
After you have copied the Java
file you will see it appearing in the MIDlet Manager application.
By clicking on "Menu" then "Install" the
application will prompt you as shown in the following screen:
When the installation finishes
you will see the color has changed indicating the application
is ready to start, by tapping on msf and selecting run the game
will start.
The fun starts and you can enjoy
playing the game
Conclusion
After 25 days with i-Mate PDA2K
I believe that this device is not really a huge leap in the converged
device technology compared with the previous i-Mate Pocket PC
Phone. Both they share a lot of features and both they have a
lot to offer. However PDA2K came with what many usersdreamed
to have such as a slide-out Keyboard and a built-in WiFi. But
even with the latest WM 2003 Second Edition the screen is not
supporting a VGA resolution, but with that in mind, the battery
has performed somewhat good results for a device with these specs.
A VGA screen may not be a good solution because this is a mobile
phone and you need to be and stay connected as long as possible.
It is an exciting device with a lot of functions and features
and it looks pretty stable and more reliable. It is an overall
improvement over the previous i-Mate. It is not a huge leap,
but it is few steps ahead.
Where to buy?
You can buy i-Mate PDA2K from
Gadgets World.
Click here for more details on price and accessories
