i-mate SPL Smartphone preview

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i-mate announced the SPL, a Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone powered device that is not based on an HTC design. The new 12mm thick handset looks very much like a Motorola SLVR, yet manages to pack such goodies as a 2 megapixel camera, a miniSD expansion card slot, and of course the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS inside. That's pretty impressive.

The triband GSM SPL will be available in two versions: 850/1800/1900MHz for the Americas, and another that supports 900/1800/1900MHz for Europe and the rest of the world. The WM5 OS runs on a 200MHz TI OMAP processor, and is backed up by 128MB of ROM and 64MB of on-board RAM. Data connectivity appears to be limited to GPRS and Bluetooth v1.2. Bluetooth profile support appears to be quite good, though, and includes the Personal Area Network (PAN) and stereo (A2DP) profiles in addition to the normal headset and OBEX profiles.

i-mate claims that the SPL's 1100mAh battery should provide up to 4 hours of talk time, or 150 hours of standby time. Recharging can be done from a miniUSB port.

No word yet on price, but i-mate has said that the handset will be sold in the US and Canada, as well as their more typical markets, and should be available in Q4 of this year.

Specifications for the i-mate SPL

Band GSM 800/850/1800/1900MHz
Data GPRS
Size 115mm x 49mm x 12mm
(4.5" x 1.9" x 0.5")
Weight 102g (3.6oz)
Battery Life Up to 6.25 days of standby time
Up to 4 hours talk time
Main Display 2.2" 65k color TFT LCD, 240x320 resolution
Sub-Display N/A
Camera Yes, 2 megapixel
Video Yes, video capture/playback, H.263/MPEG4 at 15fps, QCIF (176x144) resolution
Messaging MMS/SMS
Email Yes
Bluetooth Yes, v1.2
Infrared Yes
Java Yes, J2ME/MIDP 2.0
Polyphonics Yes, 64 voice
Memory 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM, miniSD card slot
Availability Q4 (manufacturer's estimate)
Other Windows Mobile 5, minSD card expansion slot. Music player supports WAV, MP3, MP4, 3GP, WMV, and AAC