In an article in early November titled, "Treo killer? i-mate shows us their new Ultimate 8502," we reported on an upcoming GPS & WiFi enabled device that we thought might provide a challenge to Palm. Subsequently, however, an intellectual property rights lawsuit prevented the manufacturer from releasing it in the USA.

We have been curious to catch up with i-mate to find out what happened, and whether the device would be released in the future. Tuesday we tracked down the CEO, Jim Morrison, at Mobile World Congress. He gave us close to an hour of his time. We captured about ten minutes of that meeting on film for broadcast here.

We learned that Mr. Morrison believes i-mate will indeed be in a position to challenge Palm. Mr. Morrison shared with us his company's financial position, including its approximate cash level, debt burden and whether they have any upcoming liquidity events. We learned the details of i-mate's patent issues and about carriers supporting their devices. We left with a clearer understanding of i-mates strategy for 2008.

Palm has a strong position in the United States, supported by deep pockets, powerful carrier relationships and meaningful brand recognition. By comparison i-mate is a small but creative player.

How will a competition play out? Check out our exclusive video interview with the CEO of i-mate and formulate your own view.

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