The Mobile Phone Saving Network

i-mate SP3i

Wireless/Mobile Phone/Cell Phone

Rated 2.5 out of 5

This slim smartphone has everything you need to get the job done on the go. In addition to making calls, the SP3i from HTC features email, text messaging, instant messaging and web browsing-- all from one integrated phone. What's more, the unit's software is designed to sync seamlessly with email, contacts and calendar information on your PC. This Smartphone also ups the ante for mobile music and video lovers with Windows Media Player 10. The SP3i is unlocked and will operate on your existing GSM network service.

Design
A large 176 x 220 screen dominates the front of the SP3i, while the phone's controls maximize available space on the small unit. The center selection joystick allows you to navigate and control the Windows Mobile interface. Up/down keys are located on the left side of the unit for quick menu navigation. While the phone comes with 64 MB of internal memory, a mini-SD card slot for additional memory expansion is housed underneath the unit's lithium-ion battery. The rear of the phone sports a VGA camera with video capture capability. A power key and infrared port are housed on the top of the unit, while a universal charger/data port and headphone jack are present on the bottom. The VGA (640x480) camera unit is housed in the phone's rear panel.

Calling Features
The SP3i has all the latest calling features folks have come to expect, plus full integration with Windows Mobile for Smartphones 2003. This allows you to instantly dial anyone in your Outlook contacts list. Meanwhile, the built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names. A vibrate mode, ringer ID functions, and polyphonic ringtones are also supported. The phone's Bluetooth connectivity means that your favorite Bluetooth headset is fully compatible.

Messaging, Internet and Tools
The SP3i is designed as a complete solution for people who want to bring their office with them. The unit comes packed with pocket versions of Outlook, Internet Explorer and MSN Messenger. Pocket Outlook features integrated calendar and email functions. Microsoft's ActiveSync software keeps the device synced with all of your PC's Outlook information (via Bluetooth, USB, or IR connection). In addition to Outlook/Exchange Server email connectivity, the Jam also supports POP3, IMAP4 and BlackBerry email protocols. The unit fully supports basic text messaging, as well as multimedia messaging (MMS). Users who want Internet connectivity on the road with their laptop or PDA can select a carrier data plan.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the SP3i including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a to-do list, and an alarm clock. T9 predictive text entry technology is also included.

Imaging and Entertainment
In addition to a VGA still camera, the SP3i is capable of recording video clips to its built-in 64 MB of memory, or to a MiniSD card. The inclusion of Windows Media 10 on the SP3i opens up a whole range of possibilities for this phone. Use the phone as an MP3 player and discover and purchase more tunes via the Windows Mobile music store. Sync the device with Windows Media Player 10 on your PC to download last night's TV shows so you can watch them whenever you want. For gamers, the phone supports Java-based and Windows Mobile game downloads.

Vital Statistics
The HTC SP3i weighs 3.53 ounces and measures 4.25 x 1.85 x 0.79 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time, and up to 200 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
SP3i handset, applications CD, stereo headset, travel charger, USB data cable, standard lithium-ion battery, user's manual.

Features of i-mate SP3i:

bluetooth 1.1 compliant
color cmos vga built in camera
sd/mmc - minisd card memory expansion
unlocked for use with your existing gsm 850 mhz, gsm 900 mhz, gsm 1800 mhz or gsm 1900 mhz service provider and sim card. note: this phone does not come with service or a sim card.
windows mobile 2003 software for smartphones (2nd edition)

Reviews:

This phone, and the company that supports it, STINKS!

Rating: 1

Do yourself a favor and heed this warning... and I own this phone, so take it from me...
If you are interested in a Windows Mobile smartphone, look somewhere else. Avoid this phone, and all i-Mate phones, at all costs because if it ever causes you a problem where you'll need support from an actual person, you'll never find it.
Try to send them an email? You'll get a reply in about four or five days. I have tried to get support dozens of times, and each time they reply, they just send me my user name and password for their web site. And then they claim victory and close my ticket.
I've had my phone for 12 months. I still cannot register the phone on their web site for some reason. When I ask them to fix this problem, they send me (you guessed it) my username and password.
Oh, one more thing... the joystick on this phone is terrible. Doesn't work most of the time. Falls out of the phone, sticks to one side, breaks off,... name it.

It's all frustration here folks.

Trust me... phones break for all sorts of reasons. For the money you would spend on this, you can do MUCH MUCH better.
If you read this review and buy the phone anyway, you'll remember this and kick yourself later.
As soon as I find another phone, this one goes in the trash. I'm shopping now.

All I expected and more

Rating: 5

I give this little device a 5 because it's one of a handful of technical gadgets that's got so many features in such a compact design.

First of all, it's a phone with a lot of PDA type features including email (Outlook, Mobile Windows, etc.), calendar and such. It's probably not the best device to be conducting business from - you're probably in search of a PDA that's also a phone. This is just the opposite, it's a phone and PDA second.

The mobile Windows allows you to view video and listen to mp3. It does support memory expansion, which is perfect for a sub $400 phone! The only hickup is that accessing the memory requires you to remove the battery! Annoying.

Another annoying thing is the headphone jack is proprietary! That's really annoying...but I've got an iPod and don't plan on listening to much music on my phone.

Other than these 2 minor problems, this is an awesome phone/PDA. It's very slim - not as slim as a RAZR, but fits nicely into any pocket. It's got an amazing screen - it takes up almost half the phone. Vivid colors and easy to navigate menu functions.

the dialing buttons are nicely raised - I've got big fingers...so this is good. Ther is a joystick that takes a little getting used-to...but its nice.

overall, I really like being able to synchronize with my office outlook. Now I can keep track of my meetings and keep a list of contacts in my phone. I know it's a feature of many phones, but I do most of my business in Outlook. It's nice to be able to easily sync the two. The layout is nice too!

It's got BlueTooth and USB connectivity (infrared for you old-timers as well).

It's got a vga camera - again not the best, but if you need to take a quick shot of something, it's really easy to use. 640x489 resolution. If you want to upgrade, there's a bigger better model which has a 1 megapixel camera and built in WiFi. It's expensive - known as the imate sp5m.

Watch out for support - it's not very good. The only nice thing is that there's a pretty large community of users out there that can help you out with problems. Reading reviews from a lot of other web sites, it turns out that the joy stick is a bit sensitive - so don't use it too much. Be gentle, this is not a toy.

You can find community based support on the internet, just google sp3i and you should find a number of great places to help you out.

By the way, documentation can be downloaded from O2 Asia: just google O2 Asia and it'll take you there. It's in English in PDF format.

Enjoy

good phone - no tech support	Rating: 2
there is no tech support in this country and there is not a person to "speak" with regarding problems. I cannot access AOL mail, and they have no solution, and will not let me return the phone.

By i-mate