How are you finding the i-mate SPL?

[Guest Pondrew]

So, the SPL Smartphone from i-mate is out now isn't it? Have many of you managed to get your hands on one?

If nothing else I'm expecting extremely good battery life from this device given the decent spec battery and historically efficient processor included. Is it so?

[Guest smurfanders]

So, the SPL Smartphone from i-mate is out now isn't it? Have many of you managed to get your hands on one?

If nothing else I'm expecting extremely good battery life from this device given the decent spec battery and historically efficient processor included. Is it so?

Hi,

I got my new SPL a couple days ago and it's a quite ok phone but not much more. I had a Qtek 8310 before (that I broke) and the SPL seems a lot slower and the fact that it takes the headphnes from the mini-usb port that is located on the side isn't very good since you can't use your own headphones and the connector sticks out from the side.

Aside from that it seems to work fine, the shape and size is great, the materials give a feeling of quality. It has a couple of bugs such as when you have it plugged to the computer with the usb cable and unplug it to use the usb headphones it plays the musik through the internal speaker until you reboot it (don't really know why this happens, but it does it every time).

Another annoying thing is that i-mate's site won't let me register the phone since it seems to be to new and doesn't appear in their lists yet, but I'm sure they will fix that soon...

Overall I like the phone but miss the WiFi i had in the 8310 and get a little bit annoyed at the slower speed in the phone (and it doesn't have a task manager either so I will have to install a freeware version of that)..

With regards,

Anders

[Guest roma0803]

So far not bad. Like smurfanders says, it's slower than the Tornado and much slower than the speedy Qtek 8500 (that's RMA atm). Battery life is great. Software runs fine and my version came application unlocked. The normal unlock routine that works for the various HTC models does not work with the SPL.

Phone feels solid and the keyboard is a little getting used to since the '2', '5' and '8' are placed a little higher than the rest. The LED is a multicolor (3) one and informs you if a call or a message is missed by blinking orange instead of green or blue. Size is good and it's nice thin.

Battery indication seems to be somewhere else in the registry compared to HTC models. TomTom Mobile 5 keeps informing me my battery is empty and various tools like SmartPhinger SmartMonitor and xBar do not give a battery reading.

TomTom Mobile 5 runs fine, so does my other software so far. Loading is slower, but so far acceptable.

It's a keeper since my wife wants it after my 8500 comes back. That's a first after various Smartphones past my house :) Now I only need the extended battery that comes with the Cingular version in the US for the 8500....

Edited November 26, 2006 by roma0803

[Guest 17-APG]

So, the SPL Smartphone from i-mate is out now isn't it? Have many of you managed to get your hands on one?

If nothing else I'm expecting extremely good battery life from this device given the decent spec battery and historically efficient processor included. Is it so?

I have mine about a week now and am sending it back. Compared to the SP5 the processor is a lot slower even with the extra memory. The battery life on mine is not good, charge will only last 2 days with little talk time and the display on medium brightness. Also when the loudspeaker is used the mic volume (heard by the other call party) is almost inaudible. The loudspeaker also "screams" with feedback from the mic. Something definitely wrong with this set up.

On simple design issues button 2 is way too close to the scroll down button,The tag closing the usb port pulls upwards which is OK until you try to connect the headset. The headset usb connection is an "L" shape an also tapers upwards so it is difficult to push home the connector properly. econdly one of the straps on the pouch is just right in the way of the usb connector on the phone making it very difficult to have the head set connected to play music when the phone is in the pouch.

All in all a bit of a disappointment. Good job I hadn' sold on my SP5..... :)

Edited November 30, 2006 by 17-APG

[Guest 17-APG]

I have mine about a week now and am sending it back. Compared to the SP5 the processor is a lot slower even with the extra memory. The battery life on mine is not good, charge will only last 2 days with little talk time and the display on medium brightness. Also when the loudspeaker is used the mic volume (heard by the other call party) is almost inaudible. The loudspeaker also "screams" with feedback from the mic. Something definitely wrong with this set up.

On simple design issues button 2 is way too close to the scroll down button,The tag closing the usb port pulls upwards which is OK until you try to connect the headset. The headset usb connection is an "L" shape an also tapers upwards so it is difficult to push home the connector properly. Secondly one of the straps on the pouch is just right in the way of the usb connector on the phone making it very difficult to have the head set connected to play music when the phone is in the pouch.

All in all a bit of a disappointment. Good job I hadn' sold on my SP5..... :)

I have also noticed that the SPL drops the line much more than the SP5 and it's signal strength is not as good.

I hope they bring out another fixing these things cause the form factor is really good and it is a nice looking phone

[Guest smurfanders]

Hi again,

after using the SPL for a little bit longer and installing a task manager (celetask) I am starting to enjoy the phone a bit more.

It all got better when I uninstalled the included antivirus software, at least it feels a bit quicker now. Still not as fast as the Qtek 8310 that I had before but still better than earlier.

I really like the shape of the SPL and the size is very nice, It goes down in a pocket easily, too bad they used the USB- port on the side for the headset. As mentioned earlier in the thread it's really annoying and in the way, not to mention that I can't use my own headphones. If anyone has a tip on an adapter that goes in the usb- port and lets me use 3,5mm heaphones I would appreciate it :)

well, that's my two cents of the day

/Anders

[Guest 17-APG]

Hi again,

after using the SPL for a little bit longer and installing a task manager (celetask) I am starting to enjoy the phone a bit more.

It all got better when I uninstalled the included antivirus software, at least it feels a bit quicker now. Still not as fast as the Qtek 8310 that I had before but still better than earlier.

I really like the shape of the SPL and the size is very nice, It goes down in a pocket easily, too bad they used the USB- port on the side for the headset. As mentioned earlier in the thread it's really annoying and in the way, not to mention that I can't use my own headphones. If anyone has a tip on an adapter that goes in the usb- port and lets me use 3,5mm heaphones I would appreciate it :)

well, that's my two cents of the day

/Anders

Hi Anders,

If you google a “mini usb to 3.5mm jack” you will find supplies. They are for Motorola but I guess they will work for the SPL. I ordered one.

On the phone side I also like the design , it is well put together but I can’t pass on the poor signal strength and the fact that the loudspeaker function during a call does not work properly. There seems to be some sort of problem with the mic causing the loudspeaker to suffer from feedback. The called party also cannot hear well in this mode.

How do you find the proximity of the toggle button and button 2?

[Guest motin]

can any one please explain to me how to lock the keys ?

moti

[Guest roma0803]

can any one please explain to me how to lock the keys ?

moti

Home key. Keep it pressed for a moment. And don't tell me about the End key. I know it is the one with all other phones.... Not with this one (phone reboots again...)

[Guest motin]

Home key. Keep it pressed for a moment. And don't tell me about the End key. I know it is the one with all other phones.... Not with this one (phone reboots again...)

thanks it worked like a charm

any idea how to unlock the device so one can install software on it ?

[Guest 17-APG]

can any one please explain to me how to lock the keys ?

moti

Enabling the Keypad lock

Locking the keypad turns off keypad functionality. This is a helpful feature if, for example, the phone is turned on and in your pocket, and you want to prevent accidental keypresses.

• On the Home screen, press and hold the Home key.

• Once the keypad is locked, the left soft key label changes to Unlock.

You can still receive and make emergency calls when the keypad is locked.

Press POWER button on the left side of the phone to display the Quick List and click Key lock.

[Guest mstephenson]

Hey all :) Just wondering if anyone out there knows where to get a leather case for the SPL? Got mine arriving tomorrow morning and knowing what i'm like for scratching/damaging phones I really do need a case! Has anyone got one? Or know where to get one from?

[Guest 17-APG]

Hey all :) Just wondering if anyone out there knows where to get a leather case for the SPL? Got mine arriving tomorrow morning and knowing what i'm like for scratching/damaging phones I really do need a case! Has anyone got one? Or know where to get one from?

The phone comes wih quite a good leather pouch but expansys have one available for pre order, it seems quite good also judging by the pictures

[Guest 17-APG]

Hey all :) Just wondering if anyone out there knows where to get a leather case for the SPL? Got mine arriving tomorrow morning and knowing what i'm like for scratching/damaging phones I really do need a case! Has anyone got one? Or know where to get one from?

http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?partner=modaco&i=141936

[Guest motin]

any one managed to application unlock the unit in any way ? as the usual htc way does nto seem to work on this device !!

please offer asistent.

thanks

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[Guest roma0803]

any one managed to application unlock the unit in any way ? as the usual htc way does nto seem to work on this device !!

please offer asistent.

thanks

--------

Do you experience problems with installing software? Though mine isn't application unlocked in the "HTC way", I can install programs without issue.

[Guest mstephenson]

Hey all, got my SPL on Wednesday so just thought i'd give an update on how i'm getting along with it. Well very quickly, i LOVE this phone! I've had an SPV C500/C600 for the last few years and overall i'm much happier with this phone. The main reason for this is the sensible navigational controls on the SPL (the directional pad rather than the joystick). As soon as I had my SPV I was just waiting for the joystick to stop working properly which it inevitably did with every single model I had! Regards the keypad which a few people have mentioned, I personally didn't have a problem with the middle row of keys being slightly higher than the others, I adapted to this very quickly and now don't find it a problem at all. The number 2 key being too close to the down button has also been mentioned by some as a problem, and whilst I have done this a couple times it could certainly not be described as frequent. My only very slight problem is that the 7 key requires you to move your thumb into a slightly uncomfortable position...although this may just be because I've used an SPV for so long and i'm still adjusting to the SPL. The keys are quite responsive and are fine to type out relatively lengthy texts/e-mails etc. Somebody on here asked about how well the SPL plays videos, I loaded up a few clips last night and they played just as well as on my C600 despite the slower processor speed. In connection with this, on some menu's there is sometimes a very small delay but nothing major (these things usually annoy me quite alot so when I say it's nothing major, it really isn't!). The best thing about this phone may well be the looks...finally a WM smartphone that people look at and think wow, stylish! My only annoyance at the moment is that I can't get a proper case for it (one that I can put the phone in and still use whilst it is inside) rather than those holder style things. Good range of games came with it too, the Sudoku game on there particularly is great! Headphones and sound quality appears to be better than the SPV range too. The anti virus thing seems a little temperamental at times but if you don't use it you can delete it, and it's a nice touch to have it on there at all I think. To sum up, unless something major happens to the phone long term, I'm never going back to the SPV's, this is a really great phone!

[Guest motin]

getting this error while trying to install

keylock_wm5.cab

from main memory or from the memory card !!!!

the picture of the unit is dopod 595 but the text in the screen is what i am getting on my i-mate spl !!!

thanks

Edited December 11, 2006 by motin

[Guest motin]

ok after checking into this

here is the info i can share with all regarding roms and application lock issue

there are 2 deefrent hardware version in the market for the same i-mate spl

g3 which is rom 1.04

g4 which is rom 1.05

who ever has the g3 version cant run any 3rd party aplliction on the unit and none of the regular hts unlocking soltion with work

who ever is runing the g4 version can run any 3rd party on his device.

as promised a rom update will be out in the next 7-14 days on i-mate ftp

please fallow it up and please post here if you have news on this pelase !!!!!

thanks

[Guest roma0803]

Thanks for the info motin. I'll follow up with any news if available.

[Guest jbourdon]

Thanks motin. That is very good information.

Which sources?

How can I see my ROM number. Ok found it.

I have 104. but I have installed lots of 3rd parts that work. only some won't work. the one that require app unlocking

I have had the phone for a week, and really like it.

only thing, sometimes I had the phone switch off on its own for no reason (even with key locked)

was it a bug, or something?

Edited December 12, 2006 by jbourdon

[Guest motin]

Thanks motin. That is very good information.

Which sources?

How can I see my ROM number. Ok found it.

I have 104. but I have installed lots of 3rd parts that work. only some won't work. the one that require app unlocking

I have had the phone for a week, and really like it.

only thing, sometimes I had the phone switch off on its own for no reason (even with key locked)

was it a bug, or something?

i can only say to you that i love the phone too the only that makes me sad is

very slow sms writting

very slow cpu

and the 3rd party application that can be installed

[Guest roma0803]

Hmm.. seems I have a first issue. After some time, maybe 30 maybe 60 or more minutes, my GPRS connection drops. I see that because I have no IP address anymore (in GPRS Monitor). I can not connect to the Internet and Push Mail stopped working. The little 'G' is still shown as if the connection is still alive. I also can not make an outgoing call anymore. The window with the call progress shows a long time telling me a call is being build up, but I get no connection.

The weird thing is that I can be called. As soon as that happens, the GPRS connection gets reastablished and I can make outgoing calls again. After 30+ minutes of doing nothing, same issue repeats itself.

I did a hard reset but the issue is still there. Appears to me as a radio issue. After a little over 3 weeks of use..... :-(

[Guest SecureGSM]

I Have got this phone and after some hours of using this phone I have came to conclusion:

do not touch this device with barge pole.

GSM reception is terrible. device is slow as ... I have almost 20 different HTC phones and PDAphones presently and can compare directly usability, performance, signal quality, etc of similar HTC devices.

spl is good looking phone but nothing what you expect in terms of quality. :)

[Guest 17-APG]

I Have got this phone and after some hours of using this phone I have came to conclusion:

do not touch this device with barge pole.

GSM reception is terrible. device is slow as ... I have almost 20 different HTC phones and PDAphones presently and can compare directly usability, performance, signal quality, etc of similar HTC devices.

spl is good looking phone but nothing what you expect in terms of quality. :)

yOU are right; a great looking device with little under the skin. C'mon I mate; lets see an upgrade to this to give us the functionality that we need.....