jaq3
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i-mate's JAQ3 gets the review treatment
i-mate was quick to right its wrongs after the... uh, unique looking JAQ dropped at CTIA last year. The TechFaith-sourced JAQ3 (there was no JAQ2) improves on the original Inventec piece by leaps and bounds. And yes, we can say that with confidence despite the fact we've never laid hands on the 3; one need only to put up pictures of the two side by side to make that call. Of course, just because it's better than the JAQ doesn't mean it's good. Mobility Site had the chance to put a JAQ3 through the ol' review gauntlet recently and came away with a generally positive impression of the device; the keyboard is apparently decent, and really, what's not to like about a QWERTY Pocket PC with WiFi anyway? Downsides include a relatively pokey 200MHz core, poor battery life (though nothing BlackJack owners can't relate to, we reckon), and -- yeah, we're starting to nitpick here -- the lack of a mirror next to the camera. With the quadband radio and US availability of unlocked units, this is one review that's actually relevant to Windows Mobile fans, so have a look, k?[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
i-mate's JAQ3 heading stateside
Barely two weeks after i-mate's JAQ3 got previewed, and just a single day after some other firms caught the smartphone blues, the now-dull looking device is headed to American shores. Presumably hoping to grab the business of those who just can't wait for an iPhone, our textual begging was apparently heard, as now we US lads can get a little JAQ in us, too. As expected, this Window Mobile 5-powered device will sport a full QWERTY keyboard, massive D-pad for navigating those menus, 802.11b/g, two-megapixel camera, 2.4-inch touchscreen LCD, 128MB of onboard ROM, 64MB of RAM, a microSD slot, and four hours of reported talk time to boot. You'll also find quad-band GSM and Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2DP) connectivity, EDGE, and a side-mounted scroll wheel for one-handed navigatin'. So if the nicely-featured JAQ3 was everything (keyword: was) you wanted in a smartphone, you can rethink your decision to pick one up when they land here later this month.
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 gets real with JAQ3
Let's just sweep that original JAQ under the mat and carry on as though it never existed, shall we? The TechFaith-commissioned JAQ3 looks to take a major leap beyond the original Inventec piece in the looks department, thanks in part to its slimmer form and black shell. High-speed data is conspicuously missing here, though it'll top out with EDGE on all four GSM bands -- better than the previous intel we had indicating that GSM 850 and EDGE would be no-shows. Other major features for the Pocket PC Phone Edition device include a 2 megapixel cam, 802.11g, 128MB of ROM, and 64MB of RAM. Initially, it looks like the JAQ3's launch is restricted to the Middle East, but who knows? If we ask nicely, it might just come to grace US shores alongside the JAQ and SPL.[Via the::unwired, thanks kerunt]
i-mate to take on TechFaith's 501 as "JAQ3"
Finally, a JAQ we can get excited about. After the Inventec-designed original left us wanting less (less bulk, that is), it's good to see that i-mate is strengthening its relationship with TechFaith after the SPL launch and bringing the UBiQUio 501 on board as the "JAQ3." Whether it'll be sold along side the pudgier JAQ or it'll usher in the fastest successor rollout in cellphone history, we don't know, but we don't care -- just make this thing available, guys. Unfortunately, the 501 lacks GSM 850 and EDGE; we wouldn't expect that to change with the JAQ3 variant, so i-mate probably won't be pushing this one stateside, but our congratulations go out to the territories that have the good fortune of seeing a local launch.
