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i-mate JAQ4
By any measure, i-mate and one of its post-HTC era manufacturing partners, Inventec, had some explainin' to do after the debacle that was the JAQ; while packing Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition into a device of its form factor was pretty innovative for its time, the chubby dimensions and somewhat bizarre appearance left us wanting. Enter the JAQ4, which will become i-mate's first phone to launch with Windows Mobile 6 (Professional, no less) and makes good on the JAQ's indiscretions with a more understated look integrated into a black shell. Specs are pedestrian but workable, starting with a quad-band GSM / EDGE radio (no 3G here), 802.11b / g, 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM, Bluetooth 1.2, a camera of the 2.0 megapixel variety, and a 2.8 inch QVGA touchscreen. Follow the gallery link for some shots of the JAQ4 doing its thing, including some alongside i-mate's Ultimate 5150, which is also being announced today. Oh, and don't worry about the blasphemous presence of Windows Mobile 5 on the phone -- we've been assured that it'll be hitting with 6. i-mate JAQ4
i-mate's JAQ3 previewed
If you hadn't noticed, we had a bit of a time opening our hearts to i-mate's JAQ monstrosity, which is why we're glad i-mate didn't take too terribly long to procure a followup. The phoneArena kids have gotten ahold of the slick new JAQ3, which keeps all that is right with Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC edition in this for factor, but shaves off a few pounds from its frumpy progenitor. Turns out the keyboard ain't too shabby either, and with welcome design perks like a jog dial and hugemongous d-pad, there's a lot more going for this phone than just size. Oddly enough, size might still be the major beef with this thing, since the 2.55-inch display and a well-spaced QWERTY keyboard don't help for skimping on volume too terribly much -- even if the phone looks svelte in comparison to the JAQ. Still, this new-and-improved phone should do plenty for the Pocket PC candybar faithful for now, and if not there's always that JAQ4 right around the corner.
i-mate prepping JAQ4 and SP JAM for early '07 release?
In what might be the shortest timespan from first to third product iteration in the recorded history of mankind, it now appears that i-mate is preparing yet another version in its JAQ series of QWERTY Pocket PCs. For those who haven't been keeping count, this would be JAQ4 (remember, there was no JAQ2), which is positively astonishing when you consider that we got our first hands-on glance of the first JAQ just three short months ago at LA's CTIA. There isn't much to write about here; compared to the JAQ3, the specs pretty much carry over (still no 3G) though the inclusion of a GPS antenna is a welcome addition. Perhaps more interesting is the SP JAM, which features a Fastap keypad (of all things), a generous 256MB of internal storage, 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0, and TV out. Look for both devices to apparently hit the streets around February of next year.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
