Review: imate Ultimate 8150 Handset

The Ultimate 8150 from i-Mate is more a looker than a doer


I am no big fan of either the Windows Mobile platform or smart phones but i guess there is a world beyond me. I do, however, think that i-mate and HTC make products that look good. Take the Ultimate 8150 from i-mate, for instance

The first thing that I found attractive about this phone was the way it was designed. Its bulk and uncomfortable and longish keys notwithstanding, it’s still a party magnet. There was a small difference though. I am used to a Blackberry scroll wheel on the right side, but the 8150 has it on the left. The touchscreen is accurate and works very well, and the phone features a headphone out, a large screen, one of the fastest processors (Xscale@520 Mhz with 128 MB RAM) in any smart phone, can take a mini SD card and also has a slot for VGA output to a projector. I tested the VGA output and was happy to see that if ever I need to make a PowerPoint presentation on the road and did not want to carry my laptop, this would prove a good substitute.

But beyond its looks, I will hve issues with the Ultimate 8150. Disappointingly, the battery runs out in just about a day. And the phone takes ages to switch on—you have to wait for four minutes before it is in a usable state. The alarm, well, won’t even wake a baby, the speakerphone could have been louder, and connecting to the Internet (agreed that Microsoft Mobile phones have had issues with viruses, so they need to make sure you understand the settings) must be made simpler. I have WiFi at home and office, but still had to spend about 30 minutes to get the browser working. And I am a techie at that!

The 8150 does not support data transfer using Bluetooth, so I was unable to transfer files from my PC or another phone using Bluetooth. The built in Internet Explorer is great, but Opera performed much better—so long as the battery lasted. The battery if it goes dead on you, you have recharge it for at least 15 minutes before you are able to switch on the phone.

I am in the habit of switching off my mobile at night. It switches on at 7 am when the alarm goes off. I think most of the phones do, but the 8150 did did not. When I got out of bed at 7:30 am, I had to manually switch it on, only to find an alert telling me I had missed an alarm. Funny and frustrating.

The phone does have its savoury side too. Setting up the exchange account on this phone for my email was one of the easiest. The sound quality on the headphones is good, and the DivX and MPEG playback are commendable.

The phone has standard options like an IR port, a USB port, SD slot and weighs in at about 152 grams. The screen is big and bright, a big plus point for on-road use. It also supports 3G and HSPDA (sadly not available in India) for high-speed browsing. As with all business phones, this too is a quad band phone. The camera is a 2mp one, but the performance is not worth writing about.

For a price of Rs 37,990, I would need to sit and think hard whether all I need is a looker. But if you are seriously looking for a business phone that works, you should just pass this one by.
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The Above Article was printed, in the Indian Express, on Sunday, May 25th, 2008