i-mate dump HTC late on for SPL Smartphone

[Guest nedge2k]

As posted here, i-mate have just launched the i-mate SPL Smartphone, their new 'mid range' (read cheaper) Smartphone device.


The launch of the SPL, together with the Jaq Pocket PC, represents i-mate's first foray into non-HTC territory. Insiders are saying that HTC's aspirations to go-it-alone as a device supplier have soured the relationship between the two companies considerably in recent months, evidenced by the somewhat late arrival of the i-mate JASJAM (Hermes) and SP JAS (Breeze) devices, in contrast to the plethora of product launches by HTC themselves.


Evidence of this can also be found in the fact that the SPL was originally slated to be HTC's low cost device, the 'HTC Oxygen' (details).


The device was switched to the techfaithwireless designed / built handset we see now very late in the day, in fact Russian magazine mconline even ran a feature on the HTC Oxygen based SPL, as you can see from the image on the right.


Does this spell the end for HTC devices on i-mate? Only time will tell!

[Guest Laser_iCE]

mmmm, I remember posting a reply to a similar article but it never seemed to appear for some strange reason... But yeah, I was told by a pretty close friend on IRC and he told me that he went for a job at i-mate and in the interview, the guy was literally throwing HTC devices around the room, complaining about their lack of build quality ... Which doesn't at all surprise me, however, regardless of their build quality, I still think that HTC devices look great and function well (albiet sometimes with poor performace; see wifi)... As you said, only time will tell.

[Guest FragMeister]

Makes sense really, now that HTC are selling their products under their own name, that i-mate will look elsewhere