TRI Announces Distribution Partnership with Potevio to Bring Amplified Intelligence Experience to Appassionato Users in China
Estimated $1 billion deal during the first 12-month partnership period
LOS ANGELES, May 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Turing Robotic Industries (TRI) announced today a partnership with Potevio, a China state-owned telecommunications distribution company. The agreement ensures the distribution of 750,000 Turing Phone Appassionato GX8 models throughout China over 12 months, beginning this fall. The agreement also confirms co-establishment of Turing Phone flagship retail stores in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the three largest cities in China.
In addition to its next generation digital assistance, the Turing Phone Appassionato will feature 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, a Samsung 2K AMOLED 5.5" display, TRI's robust mobile defense platform that protects the user's information, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC with quad core 2.35GHz, and an integrated Sony IMX378 camera. It is made with Liquidmorphium, an amorphous alloy that is more durable than steel and titanium and has a diamond-like-carbon coating (DLC), which provides a high-tech ceramic feel and a scratch resistant surface.
"Potevio has a stellar reputation and has helped a number of leading telecommunications equipment brands, including Samsung and Huawei, penetrate the Chinese smartphone market," said Syl Chao, CEO of TRI. "Our partnership with Potevio further validates TRI's commitment to consumers, building on an existing partnership with our globally experienced manufacturer, and ensures the widespread availability of our phone with hundreds of thousands of retail opportunities already in the works."
According to GSMA Intelligence's 2016 overview of the mobile economy in Asia Pacific, "China has been the key driver of the regional and global smartphone market to date, with 890 million connections and a smartphone adoption rate of 68% at the end of 2015. However, the smartphone market is now largely in replacement mode, driven by subscribers upgrading to higher-end devices."
"Devices priced higher than RMB 4,000 ($580 US) account for 12 percent of China's total smartphone marketshare, estimated at 495 million retail units. Our goal is to assist TRI in capturing 1.5 percent of that high-end marketshare," said Shan Zhao, Senior Vice President of Potevio TaiLi. "The Appassionato presents major differentiators in the high-to-premium smartphone sector in China and we are encouraged to be a part of this partnership."
The Android-Nougat-based Appassionato incorporates the latest developments in amplified intelligence (AI) with TRI's human enhanced-concierge service and digital assistant, named Sir ALAN.
"Think about the last time you asked a purely computer-driven phone intelligence feature to assist you with something, and its response was either a list of internet search results, or something completely off base," Chao said. "Utilizing Sir ALAN, the Turing Phone Appassionato will incorporate human intelligence, which will reference previous consumer preferences as well as personal idiosyncrasies only a human would interpret intelligently."
Sir ALAN can help optimize trips, suggest activities based on social popularity and secure reservations, map driving routes that account for traffic, report weather conditions, manage paperwork like expense reports or even provide advanced legal, HR assistance and business services.
"Consumers and businesses alike are looking for smartphones that go beyond hardware and differentiate through advanced services, security and sophistication, and the Turing Phone Appassionato delivers exactly that," said Shan.
The Potevio distribution agreement is TRI's next major step in securing mass consumer availability, following its recently announced deal with TCL Communication LTD. In April, TRI announced a partnership with TCL to manufacture the Turing Phone Appassionato. TCL ranks among the world's top-ten phone makers, and sells phones in 160 countries.
"We've been listening to our fans and our critics, and we're confident this partnership solidifies our plans to provide a next-level luxury smartphone to market this fall," said Chao.
Potevio will begin distributing the Turing Phone Appassionato GX8 at $1,599 via its 20,000+ retail outlets throughout China this fall.
About Potevio
Potevio Corporation is an IT products and service provider in the telecommunication industry. It is a state-owned enterprise directly under the leadership of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC). The company owns Potevio Co., Ltd., which consists of 7 companies: Potevio Capital, Potevio Eastcom, Ningbo Electronics, Beijing Ericsson Potevio, Nanjing Ericsson Panda, Potevio Taili, Potevio Designing & Planning Institute for Engineering. Additionally, Potevio owns over 40 companies directly invested by the headquarters, which include 5 listed companies. It ranks fifth both in the listings of 500 largest import & export and 200 largest export enterprises issued by the Ministry of Commerce of China. Potevio's business scope covers fixed and mobile communications. To learn more, visit www.potevio.com.
About Turing Robotic Industries
Turing Robotic Industries creates innovative hardware devices and software that harness the latest technology in amplified intelligence, mobile infrastructure and physical materials to meet the needs of consumers and organizations who depend on TRI to support their communication, business, entertainment and personal lives. Inspired by the work of pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing, TRI is currently developing the Turing Phone series with future expansion plans into additional robotic intelligence. Turing Robotic Industries is headquartered in Los Angeles, with its Turing Phone Division based in Finland and manufacturing plant in Salo. To learn more, visit www.turingphone.com. For downloadable images and videos of the Turing Phone Appassionato, visit http://tri.digital/.
SOURCE Turing Robotic Industries
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