CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 07/26/2005
While other smart phones boast full QWERTY keyboards (or variations of it), the i-Mate SP3i has a standard dial pad like you'd see on any other candy bar-style handset. Below the screen are two soft keys: one for the Start menu and the other for contacts. In between the two soft keys is a joystick that acts like a five-way toggle. Pressing down on the joystick selects the highlighted item onscreen. Like everything else on the I-mate SP3i, the joystick is quite small and not necessarily easy to use. Quite often, we had to press it multiple times before the desired action took place. While this may sound annoying, it wasn't actually that bothersome. It's by no means a deal breaker. To the left of the joystick is the Talk button, and to the right you'll find the End button. Below the Talk button is a dedicated Home button, and below the End key is a Back button, which takes one step back through the menu system.
The backlit number keys are raised slightly, but because so much of the I-mate SP3i's real estate is devoted to the display, the keys are quite small. While dialing by feel was simple enough for us, users with bigger fingers will find themselves inadvertently hitting the wrong keys. Since the I-mate SP3i is a full-fledged smart phone rocking Windows Mobile 2003 SE, you'll be able to send and receive e-mail. That said, we're not sure how many people will be willing to send complex e-mail using a standard cell phone dial pad. Of course, this is a matter of personal preference.
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