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By Alex Serpo, ZDNet.com.au on 07 April 2008 12:37 PM
Tags: i-mate, ultimate 9502, pda, smart phone, telstra
1 2 3 4 I have had i-mate Ultimate 9502 smartphone for about three weeks and it is great but getting it to work with Bluetooth has proven impossible.
I have two computers that are just over a year old (one only two months) and neither can use Windows Mobile Center for syncing even though bluetooth is set up.
I have an exisiting case with Microsoft who is trying to help and most supportive (calling me back - to see how I am going with the problem) but i-mate support is absolutely appalling even if you can understand their strong Malaysian accents.
Also i-mate technical support do no follow-up (phone back when they say they are going to) or even create an ongoing case. I even tried the online "live support" and there was either no one available or or the connection would drop out, on the one time I got through.
Hell, niether Microsoft or i-mate can identify what the problem is and if it is a Windows issue or i-mate.
Bottome line: when you spend over $1000AU (as much as a laptop!) on a device there should be better help from the manufacturer.
Advice: if you want to buy one of these i-mate smartphones - make sure you are prepared for bad after sales support!!
Maybe you should go for the HTC TyTN II. Even though the daily battery life isn't as good. The only problem is that it is not available on a Telstra plan. I am beginning to think I should have waited!
I've had the luck to have two in my possession for a week, a 8502 and a 9502.
So close they are in features. The 9502 has the 3mp camera but snap and shoot Ive had better pics out of the 8502, odd. The screen on the 9502 is BRILLIANT. The 8502 the usual mobile phone washout. The keyboard on the 9502 tacky in feel and could use space between the keys. The raised keys on the 8502 are nicer but the whole keyboard is too small. I'd suggest both could do without them and use the real estate more usefully (bigger screen on 8502 or less weight on 9502).
One thing that kills me.....they are both SLOW in real world conditions. And battery life is still ordinary in 9502 with wireless on. But the slowness is a killer....with email running i cant stream audio effectively, and thats just the with two things running, nothing else. Just not enough grunt for this O/S platform. Perfect phone? 8502 with 9502 screen, ditch the keypad. Light, 'phone' style and not a brick. Awesome...but it doesnt exist
The good: AWESOME screen Feature packed Solid construction
The bad: Weighty Keyboard marginally useful, obsoleted by useful touchscreen TOO SLOW for this O/S
I've had a 9502 for about 4 weeks now. I can honestly say that I love the phone. If they could address the shortcomings it would make a good phone great.
My main complaint is battery life. My old Treo 500 had a battery life of over a week, the 9502 about 3 days. Of course it could be argued that the Treo doesn't have bluetooth, GPS or WiFi however even with all of that switched off 3 days is all I get out of the battery. Which, I should mention is about the same as my previous 'normal' cell phone which is now 8 years old.
The good: - feature rich device - onboard GPS - clear crisp screen - mini USB charging from mains, car or PC
The bad: - poor battery life - CPU underpowered for O/S (sluggish)
Yeh, Thanks for the latest 8/10 "USER COMMENT" Telstra. How about getting some stock into your stores and get your segmented organisations to work together and talk the same language.
The good: Looks Great Specs Wise, Good Statistics Battery Wise, concerned about the low phone signal rating / usage that Telstra give it. "In and close to major towns etc" after the useless range on the Jasjam with the same rating. Never missed as many calls and seemed so unprofessional running a business as I did with the JasJam!!
The bad: Try and Find stock in a store, to this day. Some parts of Telstra say they're available, the local stores (5 of) just shrug! Has inbuilt GPS, but doesn't list street level navigation software. What's the point of that, just a cost cutting illogical idea, that leaves Telstra customers with a lot less than they are paying for especially for a >$1K phone, just like the expensive data plans.
In reply to anonymous, when dealing or buying product from Telstra, never use their Telstra Shops, they are all franchised and run by kids. I got my new i-mate mailed out in two days by dealing with Telstra on the phone, excellent service.
Checked carefully all of the alternative phones(Eten Glofiish,HTC Flame etc etc) with VGA screens,GPS etc and ended up getting the Imate 9502. Not sure what some of you folks are on about with the comments on it being sluggish and slow,I used to own a HP HX4700 PDA with VGA and 624Mhz processor and have not noticed any "sluggishness"in comparison. What are you trying to use it for, for goodness sakes? The 9502 downloads google maps on the fly while driving(free software and map download free apart apart from normal data costs) and GPS running or an mp3 in about 15 seconds. Programs sometimes take a second or two to load , probably more a function of SD card data throughput more than anything . (No high speed microSD cards are available as yet that I have come across.... ie. Ultra III or IV Sandisk? ) As for purchase cost,if you haggle you should be able to drive the price down. Got mine at FoneZone WITH stereo bluetooth headphones thrown in for free as well as an included 2Gb microSD card for total of $1049. As for Telstra plans,speed etc ,the other companies still don't cut it coverage or speed wise as yet so there probably isn't any alternative. Yes,size wise it's a brick,but I happen to like bricks,it's a bloke's phone for sure,but is sturdily built and still fits in a pocket in it's case, so no problems there either. Do wish it would take larger than 2Gb microSD cards but NONE of these phones will have everything you want or be perfect in every respect. The 9502 is as close as I expect I will get in the next couple of years,at least till the Sony Ericsson Experia actually goes on sale...whenever that might be .
The good: well built, vga screen, and everything in one ....oh hang on...oops, no FM radio ! !
The bad: Only 2Gb cards supported. Hopefully a ROM update will fix ?
Great phone. Innovative. Bought one. Someone is listening to what consumers want. However, how do you get the voice recorder thing to work like the old days with just one button? I can get notes to pop up or then some kind of voice control thing.
The good: Will set the pace for competitors. Hopefully other competitors will have better phones coming up with more features and have a better interface for windows. TV out - is a first. Useful as last min resort. Can't wait to see what others will have. Size is ok for guys. Wish it would slide out the other way though. In the future smaller would be better. Also I don't like the flip out keyboard. I prefer just using a stylus to type faster.
The bad: Where has the infrared gone? Is it because no one is using it anymore? I liked the idea of having a powerful infrared to control things like TV/DVD/CD player/ipod etc. In the next version or from a competitor would be great to see. However I think those days are numbered. People have commented on 2GB limited, although there is a work around this is something imate should fix.
There is a 2 second lag between sound and (followed by) video. I checked in Telstra shops and a range of handsets had ggod synch but not the i-mate. On my own 9502 the Voice dialler starts itself up at any time - extremely annoying - and background noise CAN and does dial numbers.
The good: Potentially an excellent device.
The bad: ROM is poor. See i-mate web site and browse the i-mate 9502 forum to get the drift. It's a shame this was rushed to market.
THE WORST TECHNOLOGY I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH
I have have been inflicted with te 9502 since the day it has been released
Most of the comment the people had it a couple of days,
I am talking fromm experiance!!
The bad: Lousy support Slow Hangs at least 1 or twice a day Blue tooth Clunky External buttons freeze Short Battery life
I have this phone last 3 weeks and the major downturn is BATTERY LIFE !!! I`ve got cut off in the middle of Germany ("Main battery low" sign) when I was looking for frineds phone. This was just after a DAY and HALF of being fully charged ?!
The good: Style, look, features, solid built, clear screen
The bad: POOR BATTERY LIFE, bluetooth, too slow, weight, keyboard
this is an appalling product. I hate it.
I note others have said its a man's phone - sure is. Sad 50% of the market are women.
The good: very few
The bad: Functionality is appalling - I can't manage a phone call without the keypad disappearing; I can't look up something on notes/memos without noting down (manually) what I need and then keying it into the keypad (which if I'm lucky hasn't disappeared The battery life doesn't last longer than a day, and that's with minimal use. the wireless doesn't operate well at all. I have to set up the properties again and again and again if I want to (laugh) active sync I contact your customer support and get 'dear valued customer' and told to soft reboot the phone - something I am tired of doing It is shaped like a brick, is heavy and cumbersome the snazzy glass screen gets covered in makeup when I use it to take a call
Unstable
Freezes
Slow
SLOW
S L O W
Badly finshed.. they are all stratched
The good: I only have 11 months left before I can get rid of it
The bad: Support Sux Really I dont have the time to list AVOID THIS CRAP AT ALL COST
I have the Ultimate 9502 from past 5 months & its too cool to use with the SPB MOBILE SHELL which is a good widget very fast and also the traveller and weather data can be downloaded with an ease, its been a wonderful experience with the phone itself just what I wanted. The only thing which is not appreciable is its weight 200 gms which pains my hand while surfing the net for long time and also the slow startup and soft reset sucks lot of time.....battery life is good if U know how to minimize the power off settings..... and the great feature I like is that it can be charged from both the power outlets and PC and can be synchronized with the PC and share the Internet
hi, do you know how to send a file by blue-tooth? i can only receive a file from others. I'll be grateful for any help.
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Hey, you need to be a little more realistic - the data speeds are more than enough for the kinds of applications you would use.
THEY ARE HIGHER THAN ANY WIFI HOTSPOT WHICH YOU SUGGEST AS AN ALTERNATIVE!
The natural bias against Telstra needs to be kept in check!