I have to say, I'm interested in anything that makes my life more mobile and tears me away from my computer. When I heard that Motorola has created a device that would allow me to IM (Instant Message) my friends from anywhere in the house, I was intrigued. Sure, you could use a PDA and get the same results, but what is unique about the IMfree is a complete package that includes a 900 MHz base station. Let's start by talking about why you would want Mobile IM.
Why Mobile IM?
I'll start this review out by saying that this device will be more attractive to the teenager and college student more than the typical computer user. The reason I say that is that most adults don't want to be tethered to their computer via a mobile chat stations, while to a socialable young person, the IMfree is a dream device. The IMfree is a small portable device that allows you to wirelessly IM with friends up to 150 feet away from a base station attached to an internet ready computer. If you have a family member who are constantly on the computer so they can IM friends, this is definitely a device you want to look into. I'm really suprised it's taken so long for this type of standalone IM device to be released. For years, many PDA users have used their wireless PDA device at home as an IM device.Let's Talk About the Device
As I said before, the package contains everything you'll need to get started with Mobile IM. You receive the handheld device which is about the size of a CD case (4.5” x 4.8” x 1.3”) and weighs about 9 ounces. You receive a usb base station that easily plugs in. Once you install the software and configure a few settings (you'll want to read the manual for this part) you're ready to go. Most of your configurations happen on your computer. You'll have to add your buddy lists through the computer. It would be nice if you could add your buddies right from the device, but this is only a minor sticking point.How Well Does The Device Work?
Overall the device worked well. You can actually connect up to 7 devices to one base station, which is a great way to prevent bloody fistfights among teenagers who want to use the IMfree. The only caveat in using seven devices is that you can't buy just the main device, you have to buy the complete package for each extra device you want. At least you'll have six backup base stations (insert laugh trak here).Although I use 2.4 GHz phones at home, my 900 MHZ stereo headphones wouldn't play nice with IMfree. In fact, I had to disconnect the Motorola base station in order to use my headphones or else I had loud buzzing sounds (which is really annoying when watching "When Amish Bachelors on a Deserted Island with Amature Comedians Attack!"). The overall range states 150 feet but I actually got farther reception than that which was a nice suprise. Overall the keyboard is easy to use and the text on the 9 line screen was quite readable except in very low light. What's nice is you can have up to 6 chat sessions going at once.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, I see a huge opportunity for the youth market for the IMfree. The challenge for Motorola will be to add some much needed features (like more IM services)--and more than anything, the device needs to be back lit. This is the type of device you want to be able to use while on the couch watching a movie with the lights off.The MSRP is $99.00 but can be found for as low as $69 on the internet. I would highly recommend IMfree to a parent of teenagers or anyone else that does a lot of instant messaging. Heck, the price is worth it to free up the family computer. If the next version comes with some of the needed features that I listed and can stay under the $100 mark, I think Motorola will be able to build a strong and loyal teenager customer base.
- Pros:
- Ability to IM from anywhere in the house
- Parental controls that allow you to disable the device at a certain time
- Has a very usable keyboard built-in
- Allows you to chat with 6 buddies at once
- Has built-in smilies
Cons: - Currently limited to AOL IM service only
- No Backlight, which this device desperately needs
- Can wreak havoc with other 900 MHz devices
- Device powers off after several minutes of no use, making you to log in again each time.
