i-mate

I-mate touts innovative PDA-phones

The I-mate 810-F may be the first ruggedized PDA-phone at the GSMA Mobile World Congress here in Barcelona, but the Dubai company is not done yet. Jim Morrison, CEO of I-mate, said too many vendors have been copying technology and interfaces from each other. Instead, he plans to innovate, not imitate, the company's handsets such that each model is unique in its own right.

The I-mate Centurion (shown above) is a credit-card-size, non-touch-screen PDA-phone with a full QWERTY keypad.

Though tiny and really light, we've tried out the keyboard and found it surprisingly usable. This model will retail … Read more

I-mate's Ultimate quartet of smartphones

I-mate may be the leading wireless device manufacturer in the Middle East, but it doesn't enjoy quite the same popularity here in the United States. However, today's announcements are sure to turn some heads here. I-mate introduced its Ultimate line of four handhelds at the fall CTIA 2007 show, which including the Ultimate 6150, 8150, 8502, and 9502. All are quad-band smartphones running Windows Mobile 6 but have varying form factors to meet people's different needs. Here's the breakdown:

I-mate Ultimate 6150: Traditional PDA-like design with a 2.8-inch, 65,000-color touch screen, integrated Bluetooth and … Read more

Living up to the 'Ultimate' smartphone's name

i-Mate is not the most famous of brands when we talk about handhelds, but the Dubai-based company created quite a buzz a few months back when it introduced the Ultimate series of PDA-phones. A name like that needs to be backed up, which i-Mate did with some impressive specs for its announced 8150 and 6150 devices.

Fast-forward to today, however, and we have yet to see those smartphones on the market. And we all know that a few months in this industry is a lifetime--specs and features can get old fast. But i-Mate has introduced two more in the series … Read more

I-mate Jaq3, we hardly knew ye; I-mate Jaq4 debuts

We're still patiently waiting to get our hands on the I-mate Jaq 3 (next week, they say), which was announced at CES 2007, but do we even care anymore? Today, I-mate introduced its successor, the I-mate Jaq4, which runs the latest Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition and looks like sleeker device overall. There's nothing that really knocks our socks off, and the lack of 3G support is disappointing, but the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE) smart phone still offers a solid helping of features. It comes equipped with Wi-Fi (802.11b/g); Bluetooth 1.2; … Read more

I-mate Pdal makes debut at CES

In addition to the I-mate Jaq3 announcement today, I-mate also introduced the I-mate PDAL. Sans QWERTY keyboard and sporting a trimmer package (4.4x2.2x0.6 inches; 4.1 ounces) than the Jaq3, it's a quad-band smart phone running Windows Mobile 5, and it doesn't include anything revolutionary, but it has all the necessities for a mobile professional. It features a 2.4-inch, 65,000-color touch screen; integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g); Bluetooth; and a 2-megapixel camera. Like the Jaq3, it'll be available unlocked at the end of January, but no pricing information has been set.

I-mate launches Jaq3; hopefully better than the Jaq

Back in October, we reviewed the rather horrible I-mate Jaq, which was plagued by a bulky design and poor call quality. Needless to say, we were not impressed. However, the company is giving it another go with the I-mate Jaq3, a revamped version of the Jaq that features a slightly trimmed down design and integrated Wi-Fi. Despite a fresh coat of paint in a slimming black, the numbers don't lie and the Jaq3 is still a pocketful at 4.8x2.7x0.8 inches and 5.4 ounces. The Wi-Fi integration (802.11b/g) is a nice addition, but it'… Read more