October 23, 2007 2:38 PM PDT

I-mate's Ultimate quartet of smartphones

Posted by Bonnie Cha

I-mate Ultimate 8150

(Credit: I-mate)

I-mate may be the leading wireless device manufacturer in the Middle East, but it doesn't enjoy quite the same popularity here in the United States. However, today's announcements are sure to turn some heads here. I-mate introduced its Ultimate line of four handhelds at the fall CTIA 2007 show, which including the Ultimate 6150, 8150, 8502, and 9502. All are quad-band smartphones running Windows Mobile 6 but have varying form factors to meet people's different needs. Here's the breakdown:

I-mate Ultimate 6150: Traditional PDA-like design with a 2.8-inch, 65,000-color touch screen, integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and a 2-megapixel camera. It also features an XGA-out port for connecting directly to projectors, TVs, and such.

I-mate Ultimate 8150: This model has more of a traditional candy-bar-style design with an external dialpad and a 2.6-inch touch screen. It also features integrated Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a 2-megapixel camera, and an XGA output.

I-mate Ultimate 9502

(Credit: I-mate)

I-mate Ultimate 8502: With a full QWERTY keyboard, the 8502 has messaging on the brain. Aside from the other wireless options, this model will also have built-in GPS, a 2.6-inch touch screen, and 256MB ROM/128MB RAM.

I-mate Ultimate 9502: Last but not least, the 9502 has a slider design that opens up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. As the flagship model, it also boasts a 2.8-inch, 262,000-color touch screen, a 3-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

All phones will be sold unlocked. The Ultimate 6150 and 815 will ship in early November for $695 and $725, respectively, while the Ultimate 8502 and 9502 will come later in Q4. However, pricing was not available at the time of this writing.