AnyData To Step Up U.S. Consumer-Product Presence

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 4/1/2011

Irvine, Calif. - AnyData, a global marketer of cellphones and embedded cellular modules, plans to step up its U.S. presence in consumer products, said sales and marketing VP Raymond Kim.

Most of the company's North American volume has come from sales of embedded cellular modules, mainly for machine-to-machine applications and handheld devices such as e-readers, Kim said. AnyData's only U.S. consumer product has been a personal tracking device equipped with GPS and cellular, currently available to end users through the company's website at about $100. The device can be tracked from a PC or from a smartphone app.

The company's second U.S. consumer product will be an Android-based tablet due midyear. Cellphones are also in the U.S. picture, Kim said.

The privately held company, which employs about 600 people, does its own R&D and product development, and it manufactures many of its products in its own factory in Shenzen, China. It positions itself in the value-priced segment of the market in consumer products.

For now, the company generates most of its volume from sales outside the U.S., with its phones and wireless modules certified by 60 wireless operators in 45 countries. Its cellphones have been available outside the U.S. for several years, usually under other brands.

Kim, formerly general manager of ZTE USA, and AnyData president/COO John Scott, who has 15 years of experience with wireless and Internet companies, were recently appointed to increase AnyData's sales and brand exposure in the Americas in both consumer products and embedded modules. "The direction we're taking is to generate more revenue in the U.S.," he said.

For the U.S. market, the company is already developing USB modems and machine-to-machine modules for LightSquared's planned 4G LTE network.

The company has already developed its first tablet, which features Android OS, 7-inch touchscreen and availability in a Wi-Fi-only version (AMD 120) and a Wi-Fi/3G version (AMD 810) operating in 3G CDMA EV-DO Rev. A mode in the 800/1900MHz bands and the AWS band.

The Wi-Fi-only AMD 120 will be available midyear through a U.S. carrier with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) smartphone OS but is upgradeable to the tablet-optimized Honeycomb OS.

Both versions are positioned as value-priced but offer all of the features of "market-leading devices," said the company.

The tablet, which weighs less than 1 pound (440 grams), also features Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI output, dual speakers, microphone, 3.5mm ear jack, MicroSD slot, accelerometer, gyroscope, digital compass and light sensor. The 3G version adds assisted GPS and stand-alone GPS for turn-by-turn driving or walking instructions.

The 3G version can also be used as a mobile hotspot for other Wi-Fi devices.

Both models feature 3-megapixel, autofocus rear camera/camcorder with zoom and a 1.3-megapixel webcam for video chat. The tablet also features HD video recording, 1080p/60 fps video storage, and a media player with SRS virtual surround sound. The removable 4,000mAh battery is not user-serviceable.