i-mate smartphone, laptop

i-mate at Mobile World Congress has shown off a credit-card sized smartphone, dubbed the Centurion, after the high-end American Express card of the same name. At the same time, the company is showing the Warrior laptop shell that will allow a contained smartphone to remotely access PCs and Macs. While this last device (called the Warrior) hasn't been shown, a touch-screen handset known as the Legionnaire would fit into the laptop shell and provide its processing power, while also doubling as a touchpad.

Both the Centurion and Legionnaire will sport HSDPA connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth and a microSDHC card slot. The operating system is expected to be Windows Mobile 6.5. The Centurion gives up a Wi-Fi connection for a 2-megapixel camera. The Legionnaire sports an 800MHz chip, which is necessary for more notebook-like performance.

The Warrior shell will have a 10-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio screen and an SD card reader instead of a hard drive to keep its projected price down to about $200 when it launches in i-mate's home market of the UK at the end of the summer.

The Centurion smartphone is also expected to be released around the summertime in the UK, with pricing in the $550 range without a contract. [via Pocket-lint]

i-mate Centurion

i-mate Legionnaire

By Electronista Staff