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HTC buys US industrial design firm

HTC Corp (宏達電), the world’s biggest maker of mobile phones running on Microsoft Inc’s system, said yesterday it had bought US industrial design company One & Company Design Inc for US$4.82 million in cash, aiming to enhance its design capabilities to compete in the global marketplace.

Executives hope the move is a step toward meeting HTC’s goal of becoming a top brand joining players such as Apple Inc and Nokia.

“The combination will bring globally talented people and their ideas to HTC’s design team. That will also bring multi-cultural elements to HTC’s product design,” HTC said in a statement.

One & Co, based in San Francisco, was involved in the design of HTC’s Touch Diamond series in 2006.

The company also helped design a wide range of products including Sony Corp’s first desktop video conferencing system and Microsoft Corp’s media center PC.

HTC will pursue more acquisition opportunities to strengthen its core business, HTC chief executive Peter Chou (周永明) said last month.

The cellphone maker favors companies that fit strategically such as software firms, Chou said. The company had NT$40.61 billion (US$1.2 billion) in cash as of Sept. 30.

Chou said he was confident the company would reach its target of increasing revenues 29 percent this year from last year.
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