i-mate was well represented today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Situated in a large private pavilion near the center of the show, management met with representatives from media, carriers and contract manufacturers. i-mate did not have the appearance of a company struggling. They were there to rock and roll.

"Is i-mate against the ropes," we asked?

"No way," said Jim Morrison, the CEO.

Mr. Morrison emerged periodically from the company's private conference rooms, only to be whisked away by coordinators moments later. Clearly his time was in very short supply. Getting his attention meant grabbing a sleeve and refusing to let go.

"Mr. Morrison, our readers want to know the truth about i-mate? Are the rumors true."

"Rumors?" That hooked him.

Into a conference room we went. We were told by handlers to wait there for a while. We were promised five to ten minutes of his time.

We waited.... and were not surprised when he could not return. We scheduled with his assistants a time to meet with him (we hoped) at the very end of the day.

Fortunately, Mr. Morrison ended up giving us close to an hour. He also allowed us to capture a portion of our meetings with him on film.

Mr. Morrison expressed significant frustration about rumors the company was for sale. He pointed out that i-mate is debt free and has no upcoming liquidity events. Although i-mate is public, he said he owns the majority of i-mate's stock, and was unwilling to sell.

Mr. Morrison went on to say that i-mate has ample cash, and could operate independently for years regardless of upcoming operating results. Furthermore, he believes the company's new Ultimate smartphones have strong specifications, such as GPS, WiFi & Video Out. He said the devices are poised to succeed, particularly after the 9502 won a significant industry recognition award.

We were impressed. Check out our exclusive video and learn more:

• What patent hindered US expansion
• Which vendor was responsible for the patent mistake
• When will i-mate have a workaround
• Which Ultimate models are available & where
• Which carriers are backing i-mate's models
• What will come next from i-mate?

Related Links

Direct link to Jim Morrison video interview

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