Did you think that Russia's YotaPhone was consigned to the island of misfit concept devices? The company has just inked a production deal with Singapore-based OEM Hi-P international, with YotaPhone planning to launch the handset globally in the second half of 2013. While Hi-P isn't a name you should be familiar with, a cursory search reveals that it's previously produced hardware for Apple, RIM BlackBerry and, most notably, Amazon's E-Reader division. At the same time, the Russian business is opening up an R&D center in Singapore to help research "subsequent generations of YotaPhone," so it looks like Janus devices could be here to stay.
YOTA DEVICES SELECTS SINGAPORE Hi-P AS ODM PARTNER
YotaPhone to be Ready for Market in H2 2013
Moscow, Russia and Singapore, 20 February 2013 - Yota Devices today announced it has selected Singapore Hi-P as its ODM partner for YotaPhone, the first dual-screen Android phone with a liquid crystal display on one side and an electronic paper display on the other.
Hi-P is one of the fastest growing Tier 1 contract manufacturers in Asia, specializing in wireless telecommunications and consumer electronics. Their clients include significant brand owners in the mobile, lifestyle and consumer electronics industries.
"Bringing a unique product like YotaPhone to the market requires an experienced manufacturing partner with both qualitative and quantitative engineering skills and Hi-P excels in both,"said Vlad Martynov, CEO, Yota Devices. "Hi-P has a proven track-record in high volume production of mobile devices with sophisticated design and advanced technology."
Yota Devices also announced that it is establishing an R&D and Asian sales office in Singapore. The Singapore R&D center, along with the company's development teams in Russia, the U.S. and Finland, will work with Hi-P to perfect the technology in production of the first and subsequent generations of YotaPhone.
"YotaPhone is a real differentiator in the smartphone space, and Hi-P is pleased to be workingwith Yota Devices to bring this one-of-a-kind product to market," said C.T. Yao, Executive Chairman and CEO of Hi-P. "Hi-P understands that speed and flexibility are keys to success in this rapidly changing market and we are committed to deliver on-time results of the highestquality for Yota Devices."
YotaPhone, which was unveiled in December 2012, is expected to be ready for sale first in
Russia and then globally in the second half of 2013.
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About Yota Devices.
Yota Devices is a private company dedicated to mobile communications and connectivity
devices based in Moscow, Russia. Yota Devices' international team of software and hardware
engineers and experts come from Russia, the U.S. and Finland. The company's business
philosophy is based first on innovating the user experience and then on applying the best
emerging technologies to deliver on this promise. Yota Devices is bringing the company's
knowledge and obsession with the user experience to the new YotaPhone based on the
company's successful connectivity devices business. Yota Devices has already sold more
than 3 million fast, reliable and attractive modems, routers and other connectivity devices.
The company's share of the LTE modems market is 6%. For more information visit http://
www.yotadevices.com and www.yotaphone.com.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile