Becomes part of a full-size laptop

i-mate to release phone that becomes part of a full-size laptop

You may well remember that one of my favourite new phones at the Mobile World Congress was the little i-mate Centurion, a truly dinky, credit card-sized device that somehow managed to fit in Windows Mobile, a QWERTY keyboard and about as much processing power as my Sony Ericsson X1.

Yes, I need cash, because I want one.

Well, the same company have announced something else rather cool, as well, with the i-mate Legionnaire, according to Engadget Mobile. On the face of it, it’s a pretty standard Windows Mobile phone, with the ol’ touchscreen interface, and keyboard-less design of something like the Toshiba TG01. But here’s where it gets interesting. It does have a keyboard…

It’s just not actually attached to, or part of the phone…

What it actually has is a second device, the i-mate Warrior, which is best described as a 10″ netbook PC. Only it’s not, really, it’s a vast, powerful accessory for the Legionnaire. Basically, you slot the Legionnaire into the Warrior (oo-er), and instantly your phone becomes the guts of a laptop PC. And its touchpad, as well. So, in essence, you get yourself a netbook-sized laptop, but what’s powering it is actually the phone.

Now that’s intriguing.

I can see the argument against it, because it means carrying two devices about with you, but let’s be honest, how many people already do that nowadays, with a mobile phone and a separate laptop. Lots and lots, I’d guess. So, why not combine the two? It’s Windows Mobile, so it’ll do a fair amount of the stuff your normal laptop’d do (and definitely things like Word and Excel). Just imagine you’re on the train home from work, looking at t’internet on your phone, but decide you want to send some emails. Slot the phone into the laptop-y jacket-y thing, and do it on a full-size keyboard. And then keep browsing on the page you were looking at on the phone, which is now showing on the big 10″ screen. And when you’re done, unplug them, and carry on browsing on the phone.