Core Functions

Call quality on the JAQ3 was a little above average for a Pocket PC Phone device. Due to the device’s touch screen display, users are prone to pressing things on screen with their cheek while talking on the device, though this was never a big problem for me. I have also heard complaints from people saying that it is hard to align the handset’s speaker to the ear due to it not being raised from the body of the device at all, but again, I did not have any trouble. Speaker quality is quite clear, though it has far too much treble and cannot achieve a loud enough volume, making it quite hard to hear. Outbound audio quality was surprisingly good, though occasionally the device was inclined to cut inbound audio when I was speaking (switching to half-duplex).

Unfortunately, speakerphone functionality on the i-mate JAQ3 is basically useless. The tiny speaker, positioned on the back of the device, is far too quiet for it to be of any real use, and a quite insensitive microphone means you need the device close to your mouth regardless.

As mentioned previously, the i-mate JAQ3 has a 1250mAh battery, and if you were to believe i-mate, can last 150 hours on standby. Realistic usage put the JAQ3 at around two days between charges, which is acceptable for a device like this, and includes WiFi use and a healthy helping of calls. The JAQ3 charges through its miniUSB port, meaning you can charge both from a power point and through desktop PCs and laptops.

Like most GSM handsets released these days, the JAQ3 put in an admirable effort when it came to reception. The only time I suffered a dropped call with the JAQ3 was while driving through an area that I know has zero signal with any provider; in all the usual places, the device did just fine. Indoor usage suffered a little, but I was consistently able to make calls when needed. One odd behavior that the i-mate JAQ3 did display was completely losing touch with the network from time to time, requiring me to cycle the GSM antenna on and off through the Wireless Manager to reconnect. This was a rare occurrence though, and is hardly a deal breaker, but nevertheless is something users will have to watch out for.

Unlike the i-mate JAQ, the JAQ3 comes with Voice Commander, and I am very happy to report that this application performed admirably. Voice Commander allows you to easily speak commands to the JAQ3, including things like accessing and dialing entries in your contact list, digit dialing, starting applications, accessing the call history, and controlling music playback, as well as having the device read your upcoming appointments, SMS, and Email messages to you. This is a fantastically handy application, and recognized commands even when there was a little background noise (such as in the car), and required no training or voice tags to be saved. Should you find the application is not accurate for you voice, you can go through certain training exercises to help recognition, or even go back to recording tags. The only bad thing I can say about Voice Commander is the fact that there is no dedicated hardware button for it; you will lose one of the existing hardware buttons to be able to access it easily. Though it is that good I would almost recommend doing this.

Messaging with the i-mate JAQ3 is the same as any other Windows Mobile 5.0 device, which is not a bad thing at all. A unified messaging application handles SMS, MMS, and Email through POP/IMAP accounts or synchronized through Exchange or Outlook. Word prediction comes in very handy when entering text, suggesting words as you type them through a box that displays below the insertion point.MMS creation is a bit of a chore, and is impossible without the use of the stylus, but is achievable once you get a handle on the interface. The inclusion of a template browser and many options for controlling the order and appearance of slides does help a little.

i-mate has made the JAQ3 somewhat of a connectivity powerhouse, though has unfortunately left out any form of 3G support. While this is a shame, it is countered by the inclusion of built in WiFi, and the ever-present Bluetooth, GPRS, and Infrared are also available. WiFi was very pleasant to use, and made sending and receiving email on the device far easier. I was able to connect to public hotspots and secured networks easily – the JAQ3 will alert you when networks are in range and supports WPA and WPA2 encryption over 802.11b/g. Pairing Bluetooth with PCs and headsets was easy and worked a treat, though I do miss the LED Bluetooth indicator light that was featured on the original JAQ.