The Ultimate series was conceived by i-mate to be the most feature-packed handhelds in its class. It started out with five products in the lineup but that dwindled down to just two, the 8150 and 6150. The specifications for those two devices were certainly impressive, including all the connectivity options you can think of as well as unique features like TV-out for presentations.

Though we handled the devices during CommunicAsia earlier this year, end-users haven't even seen them in the flesh because they haven't hit the market. But that's hasn't stopped i-mate from announcing more devices in the series, specifically the 9502 and 8502 handhelds, both with QWERTY keyboards. Let's have a look at the features of the 9502 and see what's so "Ultimate" about it.

Pros

If you are looking for connectivity, few devices will come close to the options found in the 9502. It has HSDPA that works in three frequencies, quadband GSM, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0. Aside from those found in most other high-end handhelds, the 9502 also comes with HSUPA. This makes it possible to upload files at high speeds over the cellular network, which will make sending large documents via email a breeze.

Like the Sidekick messaging device popular in the US, the 9502 also features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. This is good for typing emails and editing documents, and is a feature that many look out for when choosing a handheld these days.

Like the 8150 and 6150 before it, this new PDA-phone also comes with a VGA display. A higher-resolution display is always welcomed, especially since the 9502 also has built-in GPS for navigation--more pixels to see more of a map without scrolling. Like the HTC TyTN II, the 9502 uses the 400MHz Qualcomm MSM 7200 processor. It is very likely that the GPS chipset is integrated into that, similar to the TyTN II.

Cons

You have only to take a look at its size and weight to know that the 9502 is not for everyone. It weighs a whopping 200g--placed in your pocket, it's enough to drag your trousers a few centimeters down, so don't forget your belt.

Even though the HTC TyTN II wasn't really sluggish, it wasn't blazingly fast, either. And with the same processor and RAM (128MB), the 9502 has to handle a VGA display compared to the HTC's QVGA. Don't get us wrong, we love higher resolutions. But the tradeoff is that such displays require greater processing power or risk being slow to respond. Whether this combination works for the i-mate we'll have to see when we get our hands on a review unit.

Bottomline

The i-mate Ultimate 9502 can possibly be the very definition of a top-of-the-line Windows Mobile handheld. One problem we have with it is that none of the devices in the Ultimate series are available. We can't look at and judge the 9502 because there is no track record. As of now, i-mate cannot confirm the availability of the 9502 in our region yet, though we understand the company should be setting up shop in Asia Pacific very soon. Hopefully, the 9502 will come sooner rather than later so we can finally tell if its title is justified or just a self-proclaimed brag.