Archive for February, 2007

i-Mate JAQ3 review

I finally got my hands on an i-Mate JAQ3 to review. The JAQ3 is a device that I have been looking forward to getting hold of. Most of the candy-bar with keyboard devices are Smartphones and I have always found the Smartphone OS somewhat frustrating. The reason for wanting the JAQ3 is that the form factor lends itself nicely to one-handed use but where it differs from similar devices is that it’s a Pocket PC Phone Edition device complete with a touchscreen!

The JAQ3, manufactured by TechFaith Wireless, has a very similar look to the extremely popular BlackJack, it’s just a bit bigger. In fact at 126 x 67.5 x 14.5mm the JAQ3 isn’t a small device. It may be pretty thin but in terms of width and length it’s not much smaller than the HTC Universal. If you compare to the Orange M3100 below you’ll see what I mean!

Looking at the picture above you might think the JAQ3 is a bit of a beast but once you start using it it really doesn’t seem that big. This probably has a lot to do with how thin the device is but the weight also has a lot to do with it. At 145g on my scales it’s about 20% lighter then the M3100. The balance is pretty even and it sits in the palm of your hand quite nicely.

The JAQ3 is a Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition device running AKU 3.2 and has just about every feature that you could want from a device. Just one exception – there is no UMTS/3G. Personally I dont think this is a big deal with push email the speed that the data comes down at seems less important and EDGE seems more than fast enough to browse the web. I know 3G is important to some people but I’d question how many people actually make full use of 3G.

For those that need a faster connection method the JAQ3 has 802.11b/g WiFi built in. I don’t use WiFi very much but compared to other devices that I have the performance of the JAQ3 is very good both in terms of speed and range. I can use WiFi all over the house which is something that other devices can’t manage.

Memory expansion on the JAQ3 is via the microSD card slot on the top of the device. The slot has a neat cover to keep the dust out and also stops the microSD card ejecting itself if you drop the device.

Another plus for me is the standard mini USB socket for sync and charge and the standard 2.5mm Jack Socket the device utilises for headphones. 2.5 to 3.5mm headphone adapters are much more common place than EMU adapters that you need for current HTC devices.

On the left hand side of the device you’ll find a scroll wheel, an ‘OK’ button and the camera button. I like the fact that a scroll wheel is included as I have become used to this on my HTC TyTN.

The right side of the device has the USB socket, the headphone socket and the power button.

The camera is a 2.0 megapixel unit on the back of the device. The image quality isn’t bad but there is no ‘flash’.

One of the biggest reasons that I wanted to try a device like the JAQ3 was that I wanted to be able to use the device with one hand. I do like the keyboard on the M3100 but even with big hands it’s almost impossible to use single handed and the one thing I miss most about smartphones is the ability to text or email with one hand. The placement of the keyboard on the JAQ3 gets around this problem as the device fits nicely in that palm of your hand and allows you to use your thumb on the keypad. The keys are reasonably large and well raised, they also have a positive ‘click’ action so that you know when the button has been pressed.

As I mentioned earlier, the i-mate JAQ3 differs from similar devices of this type in that it has a touchscreen and runs Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Phone Edition where as devices such as the HTC S620 and the Samsung i320 are Smartphone devices without touchscreen support. I find that working with a PocketPC is much simpler and always found that the Smartphone menus and settings were rather awkward.

The JAQ3 has an excellent screen, it’s sharp and evenly bright and there is no sign of the yellow colour-cast that can be found on some LCD screens. The landscape screen arrangement is a pleasure to use. The touchscreen is accurate and so far I have not experienced any alignment issues.

The stylus is a decent size and is located on the bottom of the device.

The joypad is centrally placed below the touchscreen and is pretty easy to use. The action button in the middle seperate which is something that I prefer rather than having to press the whole joypad down. On either side of the joypad you’ll find standard softkeys and the start menu, email, ‘OK’ and Internet Explorer buttons as well as the usual red and green phone keys.

Battery life of the device is pretty good. I have been getting a few days use between charges with average use. Battery life is helped by the relatively small screen and lack of 3G. Generally I would say that it’s on a par with most Pocket PC devices out there.

Having used the device for a few weeks I have to say that the biggest drawback is the CPU speed. The 200MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 850 processor feels sluggish and at times can be quite frustrating. Several times I found myself pressing buttons more than once thinking I hadn’t tapped the screen successfully the first time. However this wasn’t a button or touchscreen issue but the processor lag. You do get used to this after a while and I wonder if it’s more noticeable to me as I have been spoilt by 400mhz devices.

In conclusion, the i-mate JAQ3 is a decent device that I enjoy using. I like the ability to use it with just one hand which is something of an advantage over the sliding keyboard devices. It is a rather large device but the fact that it’s thin means that you hardly notice it in your trouser pocket. The processor performance is a bit slow and the lack of 3G may put some people off. That said, I still like it and would recommend that anyone looking for device with a ‘front facing’ keyboard that you can use with one hand should seriously consider the JAQ3!

The JAQ3 is currently on offer at Clove Technology and you can save £20 of the purchase price using our voucher code. Find the full details HERE.

i-Mate JAQ3 Specification:

Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, i-Mate, i-Mate JAQ3, i-Mate JAQ3 Review, JAQ3, Tracy & Matt]

UMPC Group Test (Part 2) Samsung Q1 review

This week I have been trying out the Samsung Q1 which is the first device in our UMPC group test.

The Samsung Q1 was one of the first true UMPC devices to come to market. It has been around for a while and there is a new 32Gb solid state disk version coming out soon.

The design of the Q1 is pretty neat and I quite like the gloss black finish. I lost count how many times people at work and even strangers on the train said to me ‘That looks cool, what is it?’.

The main reason for me wanting to try a UMPC type device is that I want something that I can use hand-held as I often end up standing for at least part of my journey to work and using a laptop while standing is virtually impossible. I thought that a UMPC might offer the solution.

The first disappointment about the Q1 was the control of the mouse. I thought that the control on the left of the screen was some kind of analogue stick and that would control the pointer. However, it does not! Despite it having an analogue feel it’s actually a digital control that acts like keyboard cursor keys. This is quite frustrating and I am obviously not alone in making this assumption as everyone that tried the device out all tried to move the pointer with this control.

You are therefore forced to use the touchscreen for pointer control. This is ok as the device is easy to hold with one hand while using the stylus with the other. General navigation is pretty easy with this method.

Test input in the Samsung Q1 is via one of two methods, there is an on-screen keyboard for use with the stylus or there are ‘Dial Keys’. ‘Dial Keys’ are displayed on screen on the left and right and allow you to use your thumbs to type whilst holding the device with two hands. They take a lot of getting used to but I’m sure with time they could be quite an efficient input method. However I did find that the native resolution (800 x 480) of the Q1 limited the usefulness of the Dial Keys.

While on the subject of the screen I am quite impressed with the quality of the LCD. It is sharp and clear and is bright and evenly lit. But still I do not think it’s native resolution is high enough.

The Q1 ships with an organiser pack and a USB keyboard. The organiser is a leather and suede pouch in which you can mount the Q1 and the keyboard. This seems like a decent idea but all this does is effectively turn the Q1 in to a laptop device which seems to me to defeat the object, especially when you consider that this also puts the weight up to about the same amount as an ultraportable laptop. It does however give you another way of using the device.

One thing that I did think was a bit silly about the keyboard fitting in the organiser pack was that the USB plug was too big and stuck out of the side of the case which means that you have to unplug it each time you want to put the thing away. Fitting a slimmer USB connector would have solved this problem.

Samsung claim that the battery life of the Q1, with the standard battery, is 3.5 hours. In reality I have been getting between 1.5 and two hours of use out of the Q1 with the power saving settings set to maximum. I initially thought that the battery was faulty but despite this being replaced by Samsung for a new one the battery life remains the same. This is a long way short of the claimed battery life.

There are two speakers on the front of the Q1 and the audio playback is pretty decent. The audio is enhanced by SRS; the setting for which can be altered through software controls.

One of the other things that I must have on a device is the ability to connect to the internet on the go. With the Q1 I simply set up a Bluetooth partnership with my phone and used that to get online. The Q1, unlike the other two devices on test, has a Compact Flash card slot on the top. Once CF 3G cards become readily available this with be a much better solution.

I struggled with the WiFi on the Q1. Despite the Q1 connecting to my 802.11g wireless router I found the performance quite poor, the range quite limited and it would also occasionally stop working all together. Luckily the Q1 has an RJ45 Ethernet socket so I was able to use this at home and work but this isn’t practical in a mobile scenario.

Another thing that I really liked about the Q1 was the stand that is built in to the unit. Whilst working at home I was able to stand the Q1 next to my laptop and watch videos playback while I was working.

Yesterday I went to visit family that I haven’t seen in quite some time so before I went I loaded all of our photos on the Q1 and I then set up a slide show and passed the device around. This is so much cooler than taking your photo album with you!

The built in VGA socket adds to the usefulness of the device. I can imagine that there are a lot of people out there that would want to take this device with them for presentations. You just need a standard VGA cable to hook the Q1 up to a larger monitor. This is something that I did earlier this week too! The VGA Socket is also hidden behind a flap which keeps the unit looking neat when you aren’t using it.

Overall the Samsung isn’t a bad device. With practice I’m sure that I would get used to the other input methods and become more productive. I used the Q1 while walking around the office and it was quite useful to be able to still have proper PC apps. running on the device, which is something you just cant do with a Pocket PC.

Come back next week to see how the Samsung Q1 compares to the other devices on test. We’ll also have a summary in a few weeks time!

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, UMPC, OQO, Samsung Q1, Ubiquio 702, Laptop, Tracy & Matt]

iPod shuffle crystal case from JAVOedge

Matt recently bought me a new second generation iPod Shuffle which I love.

Matt also keeps telling me how good JAVOedge products are so I asked him to get me a JAVOClearCase for it.

JAVOClearCases come in seven colours and what’s more the seven colours come in one pack!

Apple have just made the iPod Shuffle available in a new range of colours but with the Crystal Cases from JAVOedge you can change the colour of your iPod every day!

The cases are really easy to fit and remove. Not only do they look good but they protect your iPod from getting scratched.

“Design meets form and function. The JAVOClearCase maintains a low-profile to preserve the look and size of your Apple iPod Shuffle 2nd Generation without adding bulk or weight! Get all 7 available colors with this all inclusive 7-Pack!”

Key Features

I really like these cases, they are well designed and fit extremely well. The cut outs for the controls are in exactly the right place. I can also swap the colours as often as I like and at less than $8 for the pack of seven JAVOClearCases they are a bargain!

Tracy

[Post tag(s): iPod Shuffle, JAVOedge, JAVOClearCase, iPod, Tracy & Matt]