Ex-HTC execs launch smartphone startup Kazam
Two former HTC executives from the UK are planning to release not one, but a whole range of smartphones later this year, under the brand Kazam.
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Kazam will be headed up by CEO Michael Coombes, former head of sales for HTC UK, and former head of UK marketing for the Taiwanese company, James Atkins. The pair left the company in March this year following several other departures at the time.
Kazam hasn't shared any details about the devices, but said it intends to launch a range that is "accessible to everyone" later this year and will focus on sales in Europe.
"We believe your smartphone is a digital reflection of who you are, and since we are all different, it's important that we don't adopt a one size fits all approach," said Coombes in a statement. "We aim to provide quality smartphones that are accessible to everyone."
The company will also try to differentiate itself through superior customer support, according to Atkins, who is upbeat about its prospects in Europe.
"There is a real opportunity for a new mobile brand to disrupt the status quo," he said, adding: "Kazam is about stunning design, robust hardware and intuitive technology, underpinned by outstanding customer service."
ZDNet asked which OS the devices will run, but the company declined to comment.
Kazam will launch to a crowded and fiercely contested European market that is, like elsewhere, dominated by Apple and Samsung, followed by Nokia, HTC, Huawei and others.
But perhaps the existence of several smartphone fringe dwellers vying for a slice of the Europe's pie has given Kazam hope of joining in too.
Finnish startup Jolla hopes to deliver a batch of pre-sale Sailfish OS mid-range smartphones for Europe by the end of the year, while OEMs and carriers supporting Mozilla's Firefox OS are expected to have devices out next year.
Meanwhile Samsung is ramping up its Tizen R&D in Finland to deliver another alternative to Android. There's also Netherlands-based social enterprise, Fairphone, which has secured sufficient crowdfunding to launch an environmentally friendly Android-based smartphone using fair-trade components.