i-mate Closes up Shop

i-mate, a long-time Windows Mobile phone dealer, has shut down its UAE offices and laid off all staff. We had seen these guys with new, working products at MWC, and shipping orders were being made, but apparently retail partners have been told privately that i-mate is now out of business. The closure wasn’t entirely uncalled-for – between delisting from the UK stock market, execs resigning, and US layoffs, this is a long time coming. It’s too bad we’ll never see how their tough smartphone would have done in the market, but honestly, it’s the i-mate girls I’ll miss most of all.

[ITP via Engadget]