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.
