View source for I-mate

{{More citations needed|date=February 2007}}
{{lowercase title|title=i-mate}}
{{Infobox company
| name     = i-mate
| logo     = I-mate.jpg
| type     =
| foundation       = [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]] in 2001
| founder          = James Morrison
| location_city    = [[Dubai Internet City]], [[Dubai]]
| location_country = [[United Arab Emirates]]
| area_served      = Worldwide
| key_people       = James Morrison, [[CEO]]
| industry         = [[Telecommunication]]s<br/>[[Computer software]]
| products         = [[Mobile phone]]s<br>[[Smartphone]]s<br>[[Multimedia computer]]s
| services         = [[Service (economics)|Services]] and [[Computer software|Software]]<br />[[Online service provider|Online services]]
| revenue          =
| operating_income =
| net_income       =
| assets           =
| equity           =
| num_employees    =
| subsid           =
| homepage         =
}}
'''i-mate''' is a company selling [[Windows Mobile]]-powered devices.  The Group was launched by James Morrison, who began his telecoms career at sea designing and installing  fiber optic cable systems with Cable & Wireless and was head of the team at O<sub>2</sub> that designed the first [[O2 Xda]] [[Pocket PC]] phone and started Microsoft in the mobile software industry. He also selected [[HTC]] to be the OEM for the O2 XDA and started them in the mobile handset manufacturing business. He set up i-mate in [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]] in 2001 to deliver into the corporate market place.  imate used HTC as their manufacturing partner for 22 handsets, It was based in [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]], and operated in the [[United Kingdom|UK]], [[Italy]], [[Armenia]], [[Australia]], [[India]], the [[United States|U.S.]] and [[South Africa]]. Imate went on the London AIM  Stock Market in November 2005 with a valuation of $350 million at flotation a climbed to a value of $989 Million in 2006, The company closed most of its  business in September 2009.
James Morrison and i-mate were recognized as the innovators in the mobile handset industry but their demise in 2009 was brought on by the failure of Microsoft to develop their mobile operating system to keep up with [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] [[iOS]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]] OS.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arabianbusiness.com/i-mate-ceo-says-troubles-linked--major-fraud--12537.html|title=i-mate CEO says troubles linked to 'major fraud'|website=ArabianBusiness.com}}</ref> HTC stopping being an OEM and becoming a competing brand. The company returned in 2013 with an announcement about a new mobile device that runs on [[Windows 8]]. The i-mate Intelligent which was supposed to be a 4.7-inch handset running the desktop OS on a [[Clover Trail]] CPU with 2&nbsp;GB RAM and 64&nbsp;GB storage, an alleged functioning prototype has never been shown to the public as of November 2017 and after MWC 2013 the device didn't make any further appearance one way or another.
In June 2011 it was found that James Morrison had permanently moved to the US and was now cleaning wheelie bins for a living.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/how-the-13th-richest-man-in-scotland-1106436|title=How the 13th richest man in Scotland is now cleaning skips in the US|first=Norman|last=Silvester|date=June 25, 2011|website=dailyrecord}}</ref>
==Products==
From the beginning of its existence in 2001 until fall of 2006, imate sold branded versions of Pocket PCs, [[Pocket PC|PPC]] phones, and smartphones manufactured by Taiwanese [[High Tech Computer|HTC]].  In September 2006, [[HTC]] ended this relationship with i-mate (at the same time it cut ties with O<sub>2</sub>).  This was announced soon after HTC started selling devices under its own brand name in Europe and purchased the PPC/[[smartphone]] distributor [[Dopod]] which serves [[Asia]] and [[Australia]].  Since the end of its relationship with [[HTC]], i-mate carried devices from other manufacturers, including [[Inventec]] and [[TechFaith]].
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://www.arabianbusiness.com/exclusive-i-mate-fraud-will-run--15m-ceo-12411.html EXCLUSIVE: i-mate 'fraud' will run to $15m - CEO]
*[http://www.itp.net/577889-former-employees-pursue-i-mate-through-courts Former employees pursue i-mate through courts]
*[http://www.itp.net/573861-exclusive-i-mate-shuts-down Exclusive: i-mate shuts down]
*[https://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/news-features/news-analysis/2163 i-mate CFO denies fraud allegation]
*[https://www.gsmarena.com/i_mate-phones-35.php All i-mate phones]
*[https://mob.org/phone/i-mate/ i-Mate. Mobile phones and smartphones i-Mate - prices and list.]
{{DEFAULTSORT:I-Mate}}
[[Category:Defunct companies of the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:Defunct companies of Scotland]]
[[Category:Companies established in 2001]]
[[Category:Companies disestablished in 2009]]