Travel at the end of June kept me from posting my follow-up user experience with both the i-mate Ultimate 8502 and Ultimate 6150; now that things have calmed down it is past time to write about a subject which, to put it bluntly, I have been dreading…

the i-mate 8502

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[It seems like ages ago that the internet was first abuzz with news of the upcoming i-mate Ultimates, and one of the high points of CES 2008 was getting to take a first look at the line. This week I finally received two of four that I'll be reviewing.]

This is one i-mate model which I think a lot of people have been eager to explore, the Ultimate 8502 which features a full QWERTY thumbboard on its lower half. Those who prefer the Treo or BlackJack form factor will appreciate the 8502’s candy bar style as well as the fact that using the keyboard does not require rotating the device 90Ëš to the left and then sliding it open. In other words, this is the type device people who text and drive generally prefer; not that I would ever do such a thing…

All pictures are thumbnails, you can click on them to enlarge; a gallery with even more photos is at the end.

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[It seems like ages ago that the internet was first abuzz with news of the upcoming i-mate Ultimates, and one of the high points of CES 2008 was getting to take a first look at the line. This week I finally received two of four that I'll be reviewing.]

Meet the Ultimate 6150. As you may recall, this was the device that I felt was the most “old-school PDA-like” back in January when I first saw it, because it didn’t have a built-in keyboard or an extended numeric pad. Instead, the 6150 has a relatively clean front panel. But as usual, I am getting ahead of myself; let’s start with the unboxing…

All pictures are thumbnails, you can click on them to enlarge; a gallery with even more photos is at the end.

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When Jerry and I had our meeting with i-mate during CES, one of the Ultimates that most caught my eye was the 9502. While I have pretty much given up hope that I will be getting my hands on one anytime soon, Kaz - of  Kaz 911 Rescue Service - is lucky enough to live in Dubai, where the 9502 is readily available at the Sharaff DG in Times Square Mall. He purchased one, and although he has already decided that he won’t be keeping it (possibly because it is so expensive), he has generously shared the unboxing experience…

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