i-mate, the specialists in Microsoft Windows Mobile devices and applications, has signed an agreement with Jumeirah, to supply them with the i-mate enterprise solution.The deployment comprising of i-mate devices, corporate applications and support services, gives users a technological advantage, enabling them to stay connected to their desktop and all its familiar applications including push-email and react quickly in the demanding 24-hour hospitality service environment without being restricted to the office.

Jumeirah’s Chief Technology Officer Joe Tesfai explains how the deployment of i-mate devices has facilitated greater mobility and efficiency for the group’s senior management. ‘Managers in the hospitality sector are becoming more and more technology savvy and being able to have access and to respond to real time information is becoming a necessity especially in our fast paced and truly global industry and work environment.’

‘A clear brief for our technology platform was to deliver a simple, user-friendly mobile interface that freed managers from being desk-bound. The Windows Mobile® platform delivers just that,’ says Tesfai.

i-mate has provided its enterprise solution to the senior management of Jumeirah properties including Burj Al Arab, Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Jumeirah Bab al Shams Desert Resort & Spa and Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

‘i-mate is delighted to be working with luxury brand Jumeirah,’ said Ulla Larsen Nassif, Head of Corporate, i-mate. ‘Both Jumeirah and i-mate? are locally grown companies with a global presence and we are confident that this partnership will be successful.’

‘With the amount of new hotels being developed in the local Dubai market and the increasingly competitive nature of the international hospitality business, hotels are rightly looking at technology as an enabler - in this vein, the i-mate enterprise solution will give the Jumeirah hotels yet another important competitive advantage in the market,’ concludes Morrison.

The i-mate mobile devices use the latest Windows Mobile 5.0 with ActiveSync 4.0. This enables users to transfer their Windows Outlook information, Office documents and applications from their PC to their i-mate devices. In addition, the i-mate devices will also be synchronised OTA (over the air) with the hotel’s Microsoft Exchange Server so that users can keep their e-mail, Calendar, Tasks and Contacts updated wirelessly while away from their PCs.

All i-mate devices have recently undergone a Microsoft MSFP (Messaging and Security Feature Pack) upgrade for better device management and security and an enhanced mobile experience. The much-anticipated Microsoft Direct Push email allows corporate users to receive instant email messages pushed to their devices free of charge with a Microsoft 2003 Server .

The i-mate enterprise solution also offers device customisations, access to free software and a 24/7 technical support team who are dedicated to the Jumeirah customers and provide bespoke service such as technical advice and solutions and know the history of each device. 

The i-mate devices feature quad-band GSM connectivity along with GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability. The devices have superior quality touch sensitive LCD screens and a full range of applications including Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, MSN® Messenger, Microsoft Office Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and Powerpoint Mobile.

The exclusive i-mate owners’ web portal, provides 24/7 technical advice, support and additional services such as free hosted Microsoft® Exchange e-mail and upgrade patches for download.
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