Those who remember Windows Mobile, may recall a little company called i-Mate. They specialized in building PocketPC devices, with another little Taiwanese company, HTC. Yes, I am talking about that HTC, makers of the legendary HTC HD2, HTC OneX and now the most recently the HTC One. The partnership between i-Mate and HTC dissolved in 2006, leaving i-Mate to wander aimlessly in the mobile manufacturer purgatory.
i-Mate may be on their way back with an audacious and bold product: A Phone that runs Windows 8 Pro! Not Windows Phone (as seen in the Lumia family) or Windows RT (the version of Windows 8 that lacks legacy x86 support), but the full on, pedal to the metal, everything and the kitchen sink, Windows 8 Pro. That very system that you are using right now on your laptop, has been shoehorned into a mobile phone.
Named the Intelegent, it sports 4.7″ display, and is powered by an Intel Atom Clover Trail processor, using 2GB RAM, and access to 64GB Storage. The Intelegent will also support HSPA+ LTE 4G support. Though no battery power specifications have been released, it is rumored to have a 10 HR talk time.
The Intelegent will be unveiled at the ongoing Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona this week. It is scheduled for release in Summer of 2013 at a price of $750.
i-Mate will also release a companion docking “Hub” that includes a 23″ touch screen display, keyboard and mouse allowing it to function as a desktop PC. Price: $1,600 phone + hub
This concept, similar to the ASUS PadFone, sounds very intriguing and actually be the first time the dual personality of Windows 8 Pro makes sense. When the user is on their phone, they will remain in the touch optimized “Metro” environment When docked into the Hub, the use can then use the large touch display to run his/her legacy x86 applications.
As Windows 8 requires a minimum resolution of 1024×768 to function, a 720p HD screen of 1280×720 would work well. However, to allow the “Snapping” of applications when the device is held in landscape, a resolution of 1355×768 is required.
The next question to ask is: Since Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 now share the same kernel, at what point will we see the platforms merge into one. The Intelegent by i-Mate, looks to be the first device to do so.
