James Atkins used to head HTC’s UK marketing. Michael Coombes (above) used to be in charge of HTC’s sales. Both of them left the Taiwanese smartphone earlier this year, and according to C|Net, they plan on starting a brand new company called “Kazam”. Said company will make smartphones to be sold in Europe that are focused on “stunning design, robust hardware, and intuitive technology”.
Do these guys have a chance? The cynic in me says no, but then again there are plenty of off brands in India and China that have become major players in their respective markets. If Kazam assembles phones in China and then sells them in Europe, sure they might make some money, but what exactly are they going to do that stands out? All the high end components have been bought up by both Apple and Samsung, so they’re going to have to scrape the bottom of the barrel.
When will their first phone launch? I’d be incredibly shocked if they make a product that hits store shelves this year. In fact, I’d be shocked if they make something that ends on up store shelves in 2014. I hope I’m wrong, and I wish these gentlemen the best of luck, the the odds stacked against them are monumental.
