It’s currently being shown off at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, so here’s hoping Jesus gets a hands on. Aside from the whole WinMo thing, this sounds like the phone the Sonim XP3 would be if it was a smartphone…

Introducing the world’s most adventurous smartphone, the i-mate™ 810-F

Brains and brawn, distinctive looks and smartphone power – all in one package

16th February 2009 – i-mate™, the global specialist in Microsoft Windows Mobile® devices and software, today launched the i-mate 810-F, the world’s first complete lifestyle mobile with a lifetime warranty¹. Designed to meet military specifications, the 810-F combines high-end mobile technology and incredible durability in a single sleek package.

Whether you work in the great outdoors or in an office, on the road or on a building site, or you just simply want a tough take-anywhere mobile, the 810-F offers everything you need for work and play. The phone comprises waterproof rubber casing and exposed metal screws to lock in the factory seal, making it impervious to almost anything. A full QWERTY keyboard, and impact resistant touch screen, means you don’t miss a thing while you are out and about.

And what’s inside is just as impressive: powerful hardware and Windows Mobile 6.1 letting you deal with emails, play games, listen to music or just browse the web.

The 810-F is designed around the stringent MIL-STD-810F series of standards. These standards are issued by the U.S. military’s Developmental Test Command, a body whose role is to ensure equipment can withstand the rigours of the most extreme environments. This means the
i-mate 810-F can cope with pressure, heat, water, humidity and even extreme shock without missing a beat. The 810-F is equally happy at a chilly -10°C or sweltering 60°C, and can be fully submerged in water.

Jim Morrison, CEO of i-mate, said: “Until now, users have had to choose between a compact phone that incorporates the latest features, or one that was big, bulky and very very expensive that could cope with the rigours of a harsh working environment and survive use during adventurous outdoor pursuits. The 810-F has been developed to meet the demands of the office, the work site and the outdoors. It is all about performance; whether it’s the ability to perform in extreme conditions, or the performance under its skin. For adventurers looking for a phone to match their lifestyle, it’s the perfect answer.”

i-mate is so confident in the ability of the 810-F to cope with anything that can be thrown at it, it’s offering a lifetime warranty¹. Plus, 810-F owners can outsmart any security threat thanks to Secure i-Q, a service from i-mate that let’s you use your PC to remotely lock, wipe personal information or alarm your mobile if it’s ever lost or stolen. Now that’s smart.

In speaking about the typical i-mate 810-F customer, Mr. Morrison added “We designed the 810-F to meet the needs of those people who work in the office during the day, but want to go surfing after work. Or, a contractor working in the tough environment of a building site who also goes fishing on the weekend. They want one phone that can do it all.”

The 810-F is a full-featured Smartphone based on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with tri-band HSDPA and quad-band GSM/EDGE connectivity. Also included is a 320×240 touch screen, 2.2GB of built-in storage, 128MB of DDR memory, 624Mhz PXA processor, 2MP camera with video capability, QWERTY keyboard, GPS, Wi-Fi, digital compass, accelerometer and Bluetooth.

The i-mate 810-F will be available at all leading mobile retailers over the coming weeks.

i-mate will unveil the 810-F, demonstrating its impressive capabilities for the first time in the world at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 16th – 19th February 2009, Hall 1, Stand 1D34.

¹ Subject to warranty terms and conditions, registration on i-mate i-Q and annual service undertaken.

Also – if you have an Ultimate 8502 or 9502, you can also download Windows Mobile 6.1 from i-mate’s site for free. The other handsets in the Ultimate range will be getting the update soon as well, though so don’t feel too left out.

Personally, I’m really looking forward to Windows Mobile 7 – while it’s nice to try and hide the OS on a phone, in reality the OS itself should really offer all the functionality these extra UIs offer natively, like the iPhone or Android. In the meantime though, at least we have things like this.

[i-mate]

The gadget: The i-Mate Ultimate 8502, the company’s new entry-level workhorse touchscreen and keyboard smartphone which is making its local debut on Telstra’s Next G network.
The price: $999
The verdict: It’s a nice enough phone and the network is speedy, but the BlackBerry gang don’t need to get too worried just yet.

On sale this week, the 8502 (and its keyboard-sprouting sibling the
9502) are making their global debut on Telstra’s impressively quick
(and impressively pricey) Next G network. According to i-Mate, an
increasing number of these devices are finding their way into consumer
hands — but despite that claim,
the main target audience remains business users who would otherwise
probably be sporting a BlackBerry.
There’s some nice features — remote locking via a website if you lose
the phone and the ability to build a custom internet presence for
managing it — and the overall design is a logical successor to
previous models. All the Windows Mobile apps are present and correct,
and call quality is good. But given the choice between this and a
BlackBerry, we’d still be feeling fruity.
A big part of the problem is the reliance on Windows Mobile, which is
still far more Windows than Mobile and lacks the really integrated feel
delivered by RIM. Tellingly, despite the full keyboard, there are some
features you can only access using the stylus, which is pretty much
useless for one-handed operation. Typing on the keyboard is adequate,
but even our rather thin fingers slipped up fairly often.
By far the worst feature is the battery life. We used a fully charged
device for half an hour or so’s light web browsing one day — no calls
or high-power activities — and the thing was dead by breakfast the
next morning.

While i-mate is still largely a business phone company, apparently the
JASJAM also found quite a following in the consumer space, and both
Ultimate models are being similarly pitched at a dual audience.
Keyboard aside, the main differentiator is the camera, which boasts 3
megapixels on the pricier 9502 and a more standard 2 megapixels on the
8502. The phone can be remotely locked via a password-protected web
site, handy if you’re prone to losing devices. It runs Windows Mobile 6.0 (a 6.1 upgrade is in the works, apparently).

You can access the expected Next G features such as Bigpond TV, though
we can’t really recommend that given the costs involved.
We’ve currently got our slippery hands on an 8502, and will post a
lightning review before the models go on sale next week.