Paul Reviews... The i-mate SPL

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Paul Reviews... The i-mate SPL i-mate SPL Review

#4 The Doctor

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 09:43 AM

Sonicr360, on Nov 1 2006, 07:22, said:

not overly impressed - and yes not sure about the keypad myself.
Most likely give a miss. Thanks for the review though.

What I would be interested in is the "Samsung" device - which I think has a keyboard, quite slim but I cannot think of the name now :rolleyes:

Samsung i320?

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#5 PaulOBrien

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 10:19 AM

See pic above of SPL hugging it up with the i320 :rolleyes:

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#6 PaulOBrien

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 11:45 AM

Updated - i-mate have been in touch and given me the installer for the additional software :rolleyes:

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#7 Sonicr360

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 12:26 PM

not sure it was an I320 - Cannot remember myself - I think it resembled a blackberry and it was slim - similar to a D900 slim size, but not THAT slim :rolleyes:

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#8 randomelements

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 12:45 PM

Great review as always :rolleyes:

I'll admit I must be one of the few that detests the Motorola look (the RAZR/SLVR styling really bugs me for some reason) but at least this phone has both form AND function

It's good to hear that the performance belies the spec but I'm with Phil on this - my Vario II is staying firmly in my pocket!

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#9 awarner

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 12:53 PM

It's certainly a nice looking device and something non htc.
The memory should certainly make up for the processor as well.

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#10 Pondrew

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 02:48 PM

I like a lot of things about this device. But the lack of Quad band, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, and a more capable processor mean I'd never buy one (unless it was dirt cheap and we aren't talking over a hundred pound)!

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#11 awarner

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 04:16 PM

Unless you plan to travel to different countries all the time and use your phone is quad-band really that important?
EDGE is another matter but I'm not a great data user so it's nto that important to me.

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#12 Samsonite

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 07:47 PM

good review! Thanks!

It will be interesting to have a comparison with the Oxygen... I am quite torn between the two.. Pricing aside, I think its a coin flip until aestethics come into it...

Battery life and screen quality are important factors to me at the moment so if anyone has any experience, could be useful.

will be interested in the movie playback quality - this is still the biggest Wow factor when doing the new toy comparison with friends...

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#13 PaulOBrien

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Posted 01 November 2006 - 07:59 PM

If screen quality is important, BUY THE SPL!

The Oxygen is 176x220, the SPL is 320x240.

P

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#14 MitchellO

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Posted 09 November 2006 - 02:12 AM

I have the say, the photos of this device make it look like one of those cheap Chinese knockoff phones. Does it seem that way to anyone else? Is it like that in real life Paul?

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#15 PaulOBrien

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Posted 09 November 2006 - 08:54 AM

Not at all, in real life it feels very nice quality, and not 'knock off' at all. It feels nicer than the SLVR IMHO

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#16 MitchellO

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Posted 09 November 2006 - 09:30 AM

Does it have the knockoff look though?

I personally didn't really like the SLVR. Seemed like Motorola knocking off their RAZR design.

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#17 roma0803

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Posted 23 November 2006 - 09:18 AM

Thanks for this great review Paul. Here in Holland an i-mate SPL is offered for about 200 Euro. No contract, I can end the subscription every month. Though it's marketed as a low-end phone, this review made my choice very easy.

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather, who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

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#18 PaulOBrien

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Posted 23 November 2006 - 09:36 AM

Are you enjoying it?

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#19 Paul_XDA_User

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Posted 24 November 2006 - 02:48 PM

Paul (MVP), on Nov 9 2006, 08:54, said:

Not at all, in real life it feels very nice quality, and not 'knock off' at all. It feels nicer than the SLVR IMHO

Paul - Again great review. Though I felt I must reply to this thread, I found that this was the most referenced review when it came to a good comprehensive review of the SPL, indeed I based my decision to buy on this review.

I currently have an XDA IIs (brick) which I use for business and was looking for a small usable, Push email connected phone like the SPL. I was tired of swapping over to a Nokia 6230 every weekend.

But after receiving it and attempting to use it, I found it awkward, slow and perhaps just too much of a culture shock after using a Pocket PC, perhaps if I was more used to Smartphones it would have been easy.

It is a great looking phone, but the keypress problem is noticable not just in multi-tap, but in general use.

I'm back using the Nokia 6230.

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#20 roma0803

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Posted 24 November 2006 - 10:53 PM

Paul (MVP), on Nov 23 2006, 10:36, said:

Are you enjoying it?

I don't know yet. It feels nice, it looks great. But compared to a Tornado it's slow and compared to my Qtek 8500 (RMA atm) it's v-e-r-y slow. I received it today, let me get back on this after a day or two more. It does look sexy

When I die, I want to die like my grandfather, who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

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#21 Xinxe

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Posted 27 November 2006 - 08:34 PM

Quote

Update: i-mate's Norwegian support team have been in contact and have furnished me with the install files for the additional software... screenshots below!

Paul, maybe it's a stupid question, but can everybody get this software for free? And is Word or Excel installed on the SPL, or can it be installed?

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#22 PaulOBrien

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Posted 27 November 2006 - 09:11 PM

No, and no...

P

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#23 MitchellO

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Posted 27 November 2006 - 10:43 PM

Paul_XDA_User, on Nov 25 2006, 01:48, said:

after receiving it and attempting to use it, I found it awkward, slow and perhaps just too much of a culture shock after using a Pocket PC, perhaps if I was more used to Smartphones it would have been easy.

Yes I have to say Windows Mobile Smartphone is a real step back in terms of functionality. It didn't take me long after I received my imate SP5 to miss my K-JAM. I stuck with it for about 5mths before I moved back to a touchscreen device.

I am now in wait of a a Treo 750v