14 DAY TRIAL // i-mate has recently proposed yet another concept of a Windows Mobile netbook, one that would feature a smartphone and netbook design, somehow resembling Palm's unreleased Foleo concept, not too much talked about either, as well as the Celio REDFLY keyboard and display extender that can be used with Windows Mobile devices.
Basically, the new concept i-mate came up with is a shell that comes with a larger display and keyboard for a smartphone, while the shell is being powered by the handset. According to the news, the new laptop-like shell is expected to come to the market under the name of Warrior. As many of you might already know, i-mate also unveiled, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, smartphones that would fit into this device.
The shell has been designed to use the smartphone for power, both in what the operating systems and the software are concerned, as well as in terms of hardware. The device will not be featured with an operating system of its own, but it will rely on the Windows Mobile platform running on the phone.
To be more precise, the shell is actually designed to display the content of the smartphone on a 10-inch display, while also providing the user with a full keyboard. In addition, the mobile phone can also be used as a trackpad for the device, and there is even the possibility that it will also offer a second display.
The Warrior shell will not include an internal hard drive, but it is expected to feature an external memory card slot. The lack of a hard drive is meant to keep the cost of the device at a moderate level, around $200. Of course, the laptop-like shell for smartphones that i-mate unveiled isn't a new concept, yet it looks like a useful concept, especially given the fact that it will allow people to use the smartphone as a trackpad.