i-Mate PDAL review
Network and connections
I-Mate PDAL is a pocket PC equipped with a Texas Instruments processor with an operating speed of 200 Mhz. The memory capacity is sufficiently large, with 64 MB of RAM and 128MB of ROM. This is a Quad-band smartphone capable of operating on the GSM network at frequencies of 850/900/1800/1900 MhZ. EDGE technology, in addition to GPRS, allows for reliable and secure data transfer, even if not extremely fast compared to what is offered by 3G devices. The device also supports all the main wireless communication protocols available today: Wi-Fi wireless, Bluetooth, and infrared (IrDa). On the body, there are also numerous I/O connection ports: more precisely, there is a USB port, one for the AC/DC adapter, and an input for stereo headphones. Power is provided by a powerful 1100 mAh battery.
Design and features
PDAL has a modern and compact "candybar" design, meaning a one-piece body. It is an elegant and well-finished model, with a youthful shape and a well-assembled body. I-Mate PDAL is available in a pleasant gray and black color, with chrome edges. Its overall dimensions are: 112 millimeters in height, 56 millimeters in width, and 17 mm in thickness. The weight, on the other hand, is below the average for the category: approximately 116 grams including the supplied battery. Furthermore, the built-in antenna helps make this device a handy and practical tool to use. As for accessories, the package includes: a power adapter, a USB sync and charging cable, stereo headphones with microphone, a case, a spare stylus, a CD-ROM, and a user manual.
Main features
The large liquid crystal display (LCD) dominates the front of the device. It is a QVGA touch screen type, active matrix (TFT), with a diagonal of 2.4 inches, featuring 65536 colors and a resolution of 240x320 pixels. This screen is able to ensure good performance even in low ambient light conditions. Additionally, thanks to the supplied pen, it is possible to issue commands easily by applying light pressure on the display. The operating system is Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition, which includes several Microsoft applications at their latest release, in "Mobile" versions. Indeed, Outlook 2002, Microsoft Pictures, MSN Messenger, Power Point, Microsoft Reader, Internet Explorer, Office, ActiveSync, and other software come already installed. This pocket PC allows the use of SMS, MMS, and E-mail messages (with attachments), aided by the T9 predictive text system. Finally, the memory expansion slot is compatible with Mini Secure Digital cards.
Entertainment and multimedia
The multimedia capabilities of I-Mate PDAL are also fairly extensive. With this device, it is indeed possible to play and manage audio files in MP3, AAC, and WMA formats, as well as video files in MP4, 3GP, and WMV formats. PDAL is also equipped with Windows Media Player 10 and supports 64-tone polyphonic ringtones. Furthermore, it integrates a good-level digital camera, simple to use but without a flash. It has a sensor definition of 2 Megapixels and allows for capturing excellent quality photos, at a maximum resolution of 1600x1200 pixels. The device is also equipped with a 4x digital zoom and offers the ability to record and play video sequences.