FCC clears i-mate Ulimate 8502 for duty in the US
Posted by Will on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 at 6:56 pm under Announcements, Devices, FCC, Windows Mobile, i-mate
i-mate’s Ultimate lineup of mobile phones is definitely a mobile enthusiasts wet dream. At least in theory. With no US wireless carrier-support and nary an FCC seal of approval to speak of, i-mate hasn’t exactly broken into the US high-end handset market. So, no matter how high-end the i-mate Ultimate lineup may be, there’s just that little issue of getting the handset into consumer hands.
But, that may all change with the FCC’s approval of the i-mate Ultimate 8502 Windows Mobile Professional-powered handset. As evidenced by the FCC’s label to the right, the Ultimate 8502 has been cleared for duty in the US by the almighty FCC.
The i-mate Ultimate 8502 boasts a veritable what’s what of high-end mobile phone features that any true cellphone lover can appreciate. Features like HSDPA/HSUPA (in other words, HSPA), GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, 2 megapixel camera, TV-out, and QWERTY keyboard secures the i-mate Ultimate 8502 a spot among the Windows Mobile smartphone elite.
The candybar form-factor is sure to appeal to the broadest possible mobile phone market, so it makes sense that i-mate decided to push this particular Ultimate handset through the FCC’s labs. It would be nice to see the i-mate Ultimate 9502 get the FCC’s nod of approval - with a full-VGA display and 3 megapixel camera, the Ultimate 9502 is a monster of handset.
Still, it’s nice to see i-mate making some headway into the US market with the Ultimate 8502.



bringing them out of the semi-obscurity they’ve always enjoyed and into the global limelight. Their Ultimate devices are impressive (if a bit homely), but it’s been a long time in getting those devices out to the public. In fact, it seems that it’s been too long in coming.

Ever since our favorite little ODM
First of all, I DO think there’s a room for a device that could fit somewhere between the full-blown laptop and a smartphone/PDA. The problem is that such a device should be affordable — after all, it IS the third device for most people. i-mate’s “shell” should apparently cost around $300 and rely on the smartphone to do all the processing and storage. Guess, they want to bundle their Ultimate phones with these “things.” Now, that’s something I don’t like, although I can imagine corporate customers loving it.



