TMCnet News

Yota challenges smartphone industry with dual screens [Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)]
[May 11, 2014]

Yota challenges smartphone industry with dual screens [Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)]


(Gulf News (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dubai: As manufacturers vie with each other on specs and size, a Russian company wants to change how you think about smartphones.

Called the YotaPhone, the 4.3-inch device pairs a traditional LCD touch-screen on one side and with a black-and-white electronic-paper display on the other.

The phone is manufactured by Yota Devices, a Russian mobile broadband services provider.

The phone is powered by 1.7Ghz dual-core processor with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage capacity with no option for microSD slot. It is priced at Dh2,199 and is available from Sunday at major retail outlets.

"Many users are paying for what they don't need. Why do people need quad-core processors and 41MP camera? Powerful processors kill your battery. Unfortunately, the whole market is moving in the wrong direction and consumers are brainwashed by marketing tactics. We are challenging the smartphone industry," Vlad Martynov, CEO, Yota Devices, told Gulf News on the sidelines after launching the device.



He said the company wanted to create a smartphone that changes the way users interact with the device, but also how they stay connected in both the physical and digital worlds in the least intrusive way. Everyone out there wants to beat each other on specs; no one is taking risks anymore when making a smartphone.

The e-ink display on the YotaPhone will remain in place if the battery dies and the company says the device allows for 50 hours of comfortable e-reading.


The phone is designed to solve smartphone users' frustrations with their current smartphones' sleep-mode screens, he said, and added that a typical user picks up and activates his or her smartphone over 150 times a day.

He said the sleep-mode screen is a huge distraction and can impede meaningful interaction with people.

Jumbo Electronics has been named as the distributor for Gulf countries.

Vishesh L. Bhatia, CEO of Jumbo Electronics, said that distribution is a big business for Jumbo Electronics. Retail is less than 20 per cent of their total business.

"We are looking at other Middle East markets, India, Pakistan and Iraq. Etisalat will be launching the device soon and we are in talks with Saudi Mobily," he said.

From the product perspective, Martynov said YotaPhone has 60 unique features which none of the other manufacturers offer.

"We are bringing the first-generation device to the markets which are more open for innovation and early adaptors," he said.

The second generation device will be for "mass production and will be available in December." (c) 2014 Al Nisr Publishing LLC . All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]