The i-mate Ultimate 9502 is one of the best smartphones we accept appear beyond -- and if you're blessed with Telstra -- the i-mate 9502 makes an accomplished another to a Blackberry or iPhone. The i-mate Ultimate 9502 is the beyond affinity of the i-mate Ultimate 8502, and shares the honour of actuality Australia's aboriginal HSUPA phone. While this buzz is in the aforementioned alliance as a Blackberry or the iPhone, be alert of Telstra's promised internet speeds.
Design
What is anon arresting about the i-mate 9502 is the ablaze 2.8-inch blow awning that occupies best of the advanced panel. The adequate 640x480 resolution agency you can absolutely accept a acceptable timemultimedia agreeable on this phone.Unlike its abate sibling, the i-mate Ultimate 8502, the QWERTY keyboard on the 9502 is hidden beneath a sliding screen. While it's absolutely small, aloft keys agency accounting is acceptable. In a agnate address to the iPhone, the 9502 automatically detects which way the buzz is aggressive and tips the awning accordingly.
We had no botheration application the baby aloft QWERTY keys on the 9502, but in accuracy we admired the blow awning so abundant that we tended to use it abundant more. The admittance of a stylus stops the awning accepting covered in feel prints, and in case you apart the stylus the 9502 alike comes with a spare. A accessible button is placed at the basal of the awning that provides a adjustment to the 'soft' blow awning keypad.
At 116 by 60 by 17.8mm the 9502 is aloof fractionally beyond than its abate sibling, the 8502. While this isn't a baby phone, it's a bunched for the ambit of appearance it offers -- and abundant abate than a monster like Nokia's E90 Communicator.The 9502 offers a ambit of added buttons, and we like the annal caster placed on the top larboard duke bend forth with the with e-mail and IE key shortcuts. One annoying affection is that the button placed on the larboard duke ancillary of the buzz sits appropriate abutting to the sliding screen, which opens in a bounce loaded fashion. This larboard us occasionally blame the awning rather than the "OK" or "wireless" shortcut.
Given that we adopted the stylus and touchscreen to the QWERTY keyboard placed beneath the screen, it is our appearance that the 8502 is the bigger architecture of the two i-mate releases. However buck in apperception for added AU$100, you get alert the affectation resolution (640x480 rather than a 320x240), added array activity and a college resolution camera in the beyond 9502. This added than justified the added amount in our view.
Features
The i-mate 9502 Ultimate packs appealing abundant every affection we accept anytime apparent in a smartphone -- and accomplished agglomeration added we accept never apparent afore -- including abounding HSPA access. However a chat of attention here; with abounding HSPA Telstra will acquaint at a best of 7.2mbps download and 1.9 mbps upload arrangement maximum, but don't apprehend to get anywhere abreast these speeds.We batten to IDC telecommunications analyst Mark Novosel, who appear a best download acceleration of 2.2 Mbps, and 0.35 Mbps upload acceleration application HSPA in the North Shore and Eastern suburbs of Sydney. He was application an identical i-mate 9502 to our analysis unit. In our acquaintance with the phone, the speeds appear by Novosel are astute or alike optimistic.However accustomed that the 9502 includes abutment for 802.11g/b Wi-Fi networks, you may be able to acquisition a hotspot and abstain the accomplished 3.5G acceleration affair altogether. No agnosticism the congenital in Bluetooth will additionally appear in handy.
Both the i-mates are additionally absolute to Telstra, which is a above check in our view. We are not suggesting that the Telstra is a bad carrier, but a abridgement of best for consumers is never a acceptable thing. Further, barter on absolute affairs will charge to change carriers to get their easily on an i-mate 8502 or 9502.
Battery activity on the 9502 is accomplished -- with abstinent use including video calls -- the i-mate 9502 array lasted about three days. The array activity is additionally aided by the actuality that the awning on the i-mate admiral bottomward afterwards a abbreviate adjournment if it's not in use.
It's no abruptness that that 9502 has accomplished array life, it includes the better array backpack we accept alike apparent -- at 1660 mAh. Compare that to a 1,350 mAh array in the HTC Blow Dual, or 900 mAh on the Blackberry Pearl 8120, and you will see why it comes out on top. If you accessible up the aback of the 9502, you will see the array is huge.
The 9502 additionally packs a 3 megapixel shooter, which takes nice photos on the big screen. It additionally comes with a flash, and ambit of photo alteration and camera appearance which accept become accepted on smartphones. The 9502 additionally comes with GPS, which is added become accepted in smartphones -- apparently because it's a abundant feature.
As a buzz maker, i-mate is a absolute supplier of Windows Adaptable phones -- so if you don't like the OS, don't buy an i-mate. However, the advantage to bark your i-mate with a interface carapace to accomplish it added user affable application a affairs like Sbp Adaptable Carapace 2.0 may accomplish application Windows Adaptable 6 added attractive.
We admired Windows Adaptable 6 as an adaptable OS on the 9502 -- but there is no carper that it's a apathetic platform. The i-mate 9502 packs a lot of processing power, with a 400 MHz Qualcomm processor and 128MB of RAM, it's a lot faster than the desktops we bethink application in the aboriginal 1990s. But already you alpha active several programs, the Windows Adaptable interface starts chewing through your memory. It's additionally apathetic to cossack up on the 9502.
The i-mate 9502 is additionally the aboriginal buzz that we accept anytime apparent with an RCA three pin video achievement -- acceptation you use it as another to a laptop back authoritative presentations. While this is an agitative footfall in smartphones one footfall afterpiece to actuality accurate UMPCs, we see this affection as absolutely to abecedarian to be useful.
The i-mates bound processing and accumulator ability could be a botheration for presentations that accommodate ample images or complicated features, such as video. Additionally buck in apperception that the appearance offered on the Windows Adaptable 6 accession of Ability Point are abundant added bound than the desktop version.One affection of the 9502 that i-mate spent ample time announcement is aegis -- the 9502 will ask you for a pin cipher every time you about-face it on -- a advantageous but hardly different feature.
However a aegis affection which is different to the i-mate is the admittance of "secure i-Q," a affection which allows users to accidentally lock their phones, or alike set off an anxiety application a Web interface. Phones bound application the defended Web interface accept no way to be apart via the handset, and you can alike accidentally clean all the abstracts on the phone.
We are alloyed about Defended i-Q. While it provides a actual able aegis affection -- the Web interface additionally adds added aegis vulnerabilities. If addition was able to breach into it, they could accidentally clean every i-mate phone! And set off loud, abiding alarms! This vulnerability is circuitous by the actuality that the quick alpha advantage for ambience up an Defended i-Q annual alone requires actual anemic aegis details. For archetype it ability be accessible to admission the annual of a new user with alone their "favorite movie" and buzz number.
i-mate offers the 'Secure i-Q', Web interface for added security. Aloof accomplish abiding you set up a added defended countersign than offered in the quick alpha interface.
Verdict
There is no agnosticism the 8502 is an absorbing phone, with a bulk of appearance including abounding HSPA, a big aerial resolution blow awning and Windows Adaptable 6. This buzz is advised for business users -- and we anticipate i-mate accept absolutely hit the attach on the arch in this bazaar with the Ultiamte 9502.
However be acquainted that Telstra's advertised abstracts ante can be taken with a atom of salt, and set up a able countersign back application Defended i-Q.