I-mate SP5 questions

[Guest emyllis]

Hi there - I currently have a c500, and am disappointed by the C600.

I have some questions which I don't think have been answered before, so if you're sitting comfortably, then i'll begin!

1) I own a C500, I believe the SP5 /SP5m is a direct upgrade relative of the C500?

2) Will software I've bought, e.g. Oxios Alarms, Oxios todo list work on the SP5?

3) Do skins and themes which work on my C500 work on the SP5/SP5m?

4) I've seen a contract for 30 pounds a month to get this phone and no cost up front. That seems like a good deal doesn't it?

5) What is WIFI like? This is the big attraction to me - what speed is it? and what does it do the battery life? (It decimates it i imagine)

6) What is I-mate like as a company? It seems a bit ropey? This phone looks amazing and I almost bought this phone several times today, but each time i said "No!"

Thanks in advance for any help you can shed

Jonty

[Guest kam_]

I'll try to answer as best i can!

1) I own a C500, I believe the SP5 /SP5m is a direct upgrade relative of the C500?

I guess so, but i'm not a real follower of all the families. Its pretty similar to the C550 and C600 really and runs WM5, so i suposse thats a yes.

2) Will software I've bought, e.g. Oxios Alarms, Oxios todo list work on the SP5?

Maybe! the SP5 runs WM5, and not all your software will be compatible. To be honest with you i'm struggling to find WM5 SMARTPHONE stuff. There's plenty of WM5 pocket pc stuff tho. You should check the home pages of the software you have to see if they have WM5 upgrades or plan to release any

3) Do skins and themes which work on my C500 work on the SP5/SP5m?

Yes and no! They should work fine, but the SP5 has a bigger screen. So although technically they will work, they will be all mashed up and look very odd. Of course this depends on how complex the theme is. Also some plugins which work on C500 may not be ported to WM5 yet.

4) I've seen a contract for 30 pounds a month to get this phone and no cost up front. That seems like a good deal doesn't it?

Possibly! The offline price with tax, delivery etc etc is £300 to £330. if the contract is 12 months then yeah this might be reasonable. But don't get the contract because of the phone. Make sure the contract suits you, then see what price they can give you the phone at. Most places are very flexible because these phones are not officially available on network. They buy the phone offline then use the comission they get for your contract to discount it. So in theory they can discount the phone to some extent on any contract you choose.

Be very wary of high off peak minutes and expensive on peak rates. These contracts can be picked up for £10 for the year and are worthless.

They know you will spend on the peak and they will make the money from you. Off peak charges are nothing for them.

Also be careful about rebates. Its down to you to pay the full rate and persue them for the rebate after 6 months. If you've missed/late payment on bills they may use this as an excuse to decline your rebate. There's no real law covering this because they never give you the rebate details in a contract!

Alot of people are stupid and get caught up in the 'free' phone. But if you go to the right place you could get the contract you want, with a cashback, buy the phone u want offline and still be up compared to one of these deals.

5) What is WIFI like? This is the big attraction to me - what speed is it? and what does it do the battery life? (It decimates it i imagine)

WiFi is 802.11b which is 11mbits. But realistically this is plenty and all access points should be (backward/)compatible with it. You're right about battery, on a weak signal it'll kill it very quickly, so its not as usefull as it may appear.

If you're at home, or you know you're going to get to a charger again that day you're ok, otherwise panic sets in that you'll kill the battery for the day.

6) What is I-mate like as a company? It seems a bit ropey? This phone looks amazing and I almost bought this phone several times today, but each time i said "No!"

Thanks in advance for any help you can shed

I-mate are rubish! support is useless. BUT against the alternative (qtek) at least you can download rom updates. Qtek is only properly supported in nordic countries (finland, sweden etc). You'll strugle to find rom updates for it.

That said, qtek give you a 2 year waranty, and i-mate give you a one year one (but they aparently have repair shops across the world too).

Simply because of the rom updates i would go for the i-mate.