Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/16/i_mate_not_for_sale/
i-mate denies putting itself on the market
i-mate, your mate, anyone's mate
Posted in Mobile, 16th January 2008 16:53 GMT
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Windows Mobile device manufacturer i-mate has denied rumours that the company is up for sale, but admits having a "strategic review" of the options given the lacklustre performance of the last 12 months.
This morning the FT reported (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2027836e-c38e-11dc-b083-0000779fd2ac.html) that i-mate was on the market following a profits warning from the company, attributed to delayed chip deliveries and the fact that some devices couldn't be sold in the US thanks to a supplier losing a patent battle.
As far as we know only one chip manufacturer has recently lost a patent battle to such an extent that their technology cannot be imported into the US - so it would seem that Qualcomm is to blame for at least some of i-mate's problems.
But it's not been a good year for the company, which seemed to overextend its reach in attempting to launch too many models (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/08/17/ultimate_dump/) which then got delayed, and in some cases still aren't available. ®