i-mate Ultimate 9502 with Windows Mobile 6 Professional

INTRODUCTION

WHAT'S HOT

BOX CONTENTS

For those that missed the unboxing video, here it is again.

In the box we get a power cable with international plugs, a real leather case, USB cable, miniUSB to composite cable, extra stylus, plus getting started guide and reading materials.

PRODUCT FEATURES (all images link to higher resolution)

The 9502 is a handful. If only they could cut down on the area above and below the screen, it'd be a bit more petite. In-hand, the device feels high quality. A combination of metal and plastic is used on the casing.

The screen is reflective, meaning that it's difficult to view in bright conditions. A screen protector could remedy this. Note how the screen is surrounded in a polished metallic bezel. Nice touch.

The screen easily slides open with one finger thanks to the strong spring assist. The keyboard is quite small.

Note that even though my hands are on the small side, my thumbs covers four keys at once. Later in the review we'll see how this keyboard compares to that of the HTC TyTN II.

I know it's a bit blurry, but here you can see the illumination of all of the buttons on the 9502 at night. This can be turned on via the light sensor.

    In a closer view of the keyboard, we can see that there is a function key in the bottom left to call up the blue symbols on the keys. There is no LED to indicate caps lock has been set. Note the convenient location of the soft reset hole in the upper right.

    On the top, we have a shortcut to messaging and Pocket Internet Explorer, plus a front-facing VGA camera for video calls. Sadly, US users of the 9502 won't be able to use this functionality. There is also a status light on the left side of the ear speaker.

On the bottom there is a D-Pad with a select button, plus call start and end keys. Above that are oddly-placed hardware soft keys, an OK button, and Start button.

Tilting to the bottom, we see the microphone surrounded by leather texture. A bit tacky.

And on the top, we have the same leather texture, with a power button on the right, and stylus silo on the left.

Speaking of the stylus, the one included is retractable, unfortunately, and feels cheap.

On the left side we have a scroll wheel (sweet!) that presses inwards, plus another OK key, wireless manager launcher, and miniUSB port for syncing/charging/TV-out (also sweet). Speaking of TV-out...

...here is a video demonstration of the TV-out capability.

    On the other side, we have a standard 2.5mm headphone jack (aka "mini headphone"), which is the best we can ask for. The real standard 3.5mm isn't found on too many devices these days. To the right of that is a button for camera, record, and volume up and down.

Where's the microSD slot, you ask? Well, i-mate makes you pull off the back to get to it. At least you can keep the battery installed, though, unlike some devices.

And here's the back. There is a lock switch on the bottom, next to two rubber feet.

    The 3MP camera has a mechanical autofocus, so that if you press down the camera button halfway, it'll focus itself, then a full press will take the picture. This worked quite well and produced above-average shots. You'll see the pictures on the second page.

    The speaker also resides on the back. I'm a frequent user of the speakerphone. The best speakerphone I've ever used was on the BlackJack I and II - you could have the phone an arm's length away and still have the other party hear you. Also, the speaker would seldom distort, even at high volumes. The speakerphone on the 9502 was as good, if not better, than that of the BlackJacks.

Removing the 1660mAh battery, we can see the SIM card slot.

Continue over to Page 2 to see the i-mate next to other phones you may know, plus a tour of software.