There aren't many phones like the i-mate Ultimate 8150 on the U.S. market. Scratch that, there aren't any phones like it, not with its pure power, but in terms of the form factor, it is a rarity. In the U.S., we generally like our smartphones to come with QWERTY keyboards, with the exception of a few Windows Mobile Smartphone edition models, like the AT&T 3125 made by HTC, and coincidentally sold abroad by i-mate as the i-mate Smartflip, and some Symbian S60 phones, which never really caught on here. So, the 8150 is an anomaly not just because of its rarely-used form factor, but also because it sacrifices the QWERTY keyboard without sacrificing many of the high-end business features that make the i-mate Ultimate 8502 and 9502 so compelling.
Beyond the thin client-like features seen on all the i-mate Ultimate edition phones launched today, i-mate is stressing easy-to-use security features for these devices. Though we're sure consumers wouldn't complain about the robust security, we think that it will mostly be business users who will be relieved by the idea of wiping their lost phones remotely, over a Web page run by i-mate.
To that end, we asked the company who they saw as competition in the market, and the names that came up were predictably business-oriented, like RIM. Still, the thin client features are so unique that i-mate has practically created a new class of smartphones. Nokia can claim their E90 smartphone is a desktop replacement, but why replace your desktop when you can simply open up a conduit and work on with your own materials.
So, instead of a QWERTY keyboard, users can use an external keyboard and mouse with the Ultimate 8150. That should solve the problem while you're plugged in and sitting down, but it won't much help with messaging on the road or Web browsing. For that, you'll either have to multi-tap or use the tiny, though slightly improved, on screen keyboard.
Or, you can skip the keyboard altogether. The phone also uses a small joystick, placed off center among the keys. The joystick was nice and stiff, as solid as the rest of the phone. If the joystick isn't your thing, use the scroll wheel. Or, break out the stylus, as the smartphone uses a touch screen, which is another feature that is rare on phones of this form. We know there are users still averse to QWERTY keyboards, and we're curious to see how this phone, an uncompromising 12-key smartphone, fares in the market.
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