dignow96
03-23-2006, 07:12 AM
Take this as a micro-review of my new device and after less then 48hrs of usage. So far this device has been amazing!
Right out of the box I was able to start pulling down my POP3 email. I'm syncing 4 different email accounts and loving it. It connects effortlessly via WiFi or my EDGE service. I'm not 100% sure at this point but it seems to default to WiFi until it's not in range of a signal and then transfers to EDGE. Again, this is all without any significant help from me.
Also, unlike my original Jam this device will talk to my Stowaway keyboard. No issues at all after downloading and installing the new driver. Same goes for my Holux GPSlim236 - fired up and connected first try. My favorite BT feature right now is the ability to activate MS Voice Command via my Cardo Scala 500 BTH. I had to use a little registry hack embedded in a cab file (http://www.burling.co.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=150) but with my hardware the little app works great!
I haven't noticed any significant differences in performance so far either. Granted this is totally subjective at this point. Apps open up quickly, music and movies play without a problem but I'm not much for watching movies in that form factor. I use Handmap for GPS solutions since it's the only sub $500 program I've found with accurate maps of the MiddleEast and its a bit slow but it has been slow with every device I've ever used it on and its certainly not optimized for WM5. I did have QUITE a bit of trouble getting ActiveSync 4.1 to connect to the device but after a quick chat session with imate's customer service the problem was solved (it was an ActiveSync/Outlook issue).
The 2MP camera and video capture functions of the device are quite nice. I used to carry Panasonic's little SD camera around and a tiny digital camera for work. The Jamin only records MPG4 video and 2MP stills but in good light that works just fine for my purposes. The software package imate included was also very nice - a pdf reader, BT modem, anit virus software, all on top of the normal WM5 package.
Battery life seems to be much improved over the Jam as well. I would assume this has more to do with WM5 then with any major hardware redesign within the device but it is very nice. I keep BT, WiFi, and EDGE running constantly and still had over 3 hours of battery when I got home after a full day at work.
Obviously, I am very pleased with the device and so far would definately recommend it. The form factor is nearly identical to the old Jam so it is very small and phone-like while still retaining the functionality of a much more powerful PPC. It's feature rich and so far everything seems to work as advertised. As soon as I can get a rollable screen, a massive processor, and a couple 100 GBs of memory in one of these I'll be set. Until then its current incarnation will work just fine.
Right out of the box I was able to start pulling down my POP3 email. I'm syncing 4 different email accounts and loving it. It connects effortlessly via WiFi or my EDGE service. I'm not 100% sure at this point but it seems to default to WiFi until it's not in range of a signal and then transfers to EDGE. Again, this is all without any significant help from me.
Also, unlike my original Jam this device will talk to my Stowaway keyboard. No issues at all after downloading and installing the new driver. Same goes for my Holux GPSlim236 - fired up and connected first try. My favorite BT feature right now is the ability to activate MS Voice Command via my Cardo Scala 500 BTH. I had to use a little registry hack embedded in a cab file (http://www.burling.co.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=150) but with my hardware the little app works great!
I haven't noticed any significant differences in performance so far either. Granted this is totally subjective at this point. Apps open up quickly, music and movies play without a problem but I'm not much for watching movies in that form factor. I use Handmap for GPS solutions since it's the only sub $500 program I've found with accurate maps of the MiddleEast and its a bit slow but it has been slow with every device I've ever used it on and its certainly not optimized for WM5. I did have QUITE a bit of trouble getting ActiveSync 4.1 to connect to the device but after a quick chat session with imate's customer service the problem was solved (it was an ActiveSync/Outlook issue).
The 2MP camera and video capture functions of the device are quite nice. I used to carry Panasonic's little SD camera around and a tiny digital camera for work. The Jamin only records MPG4 video and 2MP stills but in good light that works just fine for my purposes. The software package imate included was also very nice - a pdf reader, BT modem, anit virus software, all on top of the normal WM5 package.
Battery life seems to be much improved over the Jam as well. I would assume this has more to do with WM5 then with any major hardware redesign within the device but it is very nice. I keep BT, WiFi, and EDGE running constantly and still had over 3 hours of battery when I got home after a full day at work.
Obviously, I am very pleased with the device and so far would definately recommend it. The form factor is nearly identical to the old Jam so it is very small and phone-like while still retaining the functionality of a much more powerful PPC. It's feature rich and so far everything seems to work as advertised. As soon as I can get a rollable screen, a massive processor, and a couple 100 GBs of memory in one of these I'll be set. Until then its current incarnation will work just fine.