By Chris Nicholls
SYDNEY: Pocket PC and smartphone manufacturer i-mate has launched four new mobile devices, including its first to be released with a higher resolution VGA screen.
The new additions are the Ultimate 6150, Ultimate 8150, JAMA 101 and the JAMA 201.
The two Ultimate series phones come with a VGA screen, giving them over four times to resolution of a standard QVGA display. The 6150 comes with a 2.8-inch display, while the 8150 offers a smaller 2.6-inch screen, but comes with a standard numerical keypad. The phones can also output at XGA resolution to a projector or screen.
Both phones offer high speed UMTS/HSDPA at 3.6 megabits per second download speeds, as well as a two megapixel camera and WiFi 802.11 b/g/e and i. Bluetooth 2.0 is included and storage is via the 256mb onboard memory or up to two gigabyte micro SD.
The two Ultimate and one of the JAMA models run Windows Mobile 6 Professional. The lower end JAMA 201 runs Windows Mobile 6 Standard.
The entry-level JAMA models miss out on the VGA screens, with a 2.4-inch screen on the 101 and a 2.5-inch display on the 201. Both JAMA models have 128 megabyte internal memory and micro SD card storage. A two megapixel camera appears on both the JAMA models as well, but the lower-end phones only offer Bluetooth 1.2.
The company also launched their new phone customisation software program, ‘Custom i-Q’, which allows customers to specify their settings and preferences and have them installed wirelessly.
The free service will be rolled out over all coming models, but while the company is in negotiations with network carriers, the current solution means customers have to set their preferences themselves.
Security has also been increased, with each handset able to be locked out or wiped remotely in the event of theft.
The phones will be available from January next year. The JAMA 101 and JAMA 201 will be available at a suggested retail price of $490, while the Ultimate 6150 and 8150 will be available at a suggested retail price of $1,079.