i-mate JAMin review

The JAMin from i-mate is based around HTC's Prophet design. It builds on i-mate's JAM range of small-format Windows Mobile handhelds, and is available SIM-free.

The small overall size of the JAMin should appeal to those who are looking for a connected Windows Mobile device and want to be able to use it for voice calls without feeling too conspicuous.

Design
Measuring 58mm by 108mm by 18mm and weighing 150g, the JAMin is not much larger than a Windows Mobile smartphone, and about a third heavier. Nevertheless, its screen measures 71mm (2.8 inches) diagonally and it runs Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PCs, which delivers more productivity to business users than the smartphone variant of the OS.

Beneath the screen sits a lozenge containing Call and End buttons, a navigation pad with central 'select' button and four shortcuts. The top two of these link into the Windows Mobile 5.0 softmenus, the bottom two activate the Start menu and provide an 'OK' function.

Mains power is provided via a mini USB connector that sits on the bottom edge of the device, alongside a 2.5mm connector for the included stereo headphones. On the right edge is the power button and slot for the stylus -- a thin and poorly weighted example of its ilk.

At the top there's an SD card slot, while the left side has a button that, on a short press, accesses the wireless communications management module, while a long press allows you to make a voice recording. There's also a slider for adjusting system and in-call volume, plus a button for use with the built-in camera.

At the back, above the cover for the removable battery, sits a lens for the 2-megapixel camera and a self portrait mirror. There is no flash.

The JAMin comes with a belt-clip-style carrying case, a stereo headset, a USB cable for connection to a PC, a spare stylus, a mains power adaptor, an application CD, a printed quick-start guide plus a more complete printed manual.

Features
The JAMin incorporates a quad-band GSM phone with GPRS and EDGE support. It comes with pre-configured settings not only for UK operators but for others from around the world too. When you switch the device on for the first time, or after a hard reset, you choose your operator from the provided list and wait for the device to configure itself, which takes just a couple of minutes.

Processing power for the JAMin is supplied by Texas Instruments' OMAP 850 processor, which runs at 200MHz. The memory complement is quoted at 64MB of RAM and 128MB of ROM, but this is not the full story, as the system uses up some of each type. Checking the memory after a hard reset revealed 37MB of storage available for your own applications and data -- you can boost this with an SD card in the SDIO-compatible slot, but that will cost you extra as no card is supplied.