It is not easy standing out in the smartphone game. Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co pretty much have the market locked up with high-performance devices that look pretty and work well.
The response from Turing Robotic Industries? A US$1,600 smartphone linked to a high-end concierge service overseen by a digital assistant named Sir Alan.
The Appassionato, which means “enthusiast” in Italian, is the latest effort from closely held Turing, which is based in Los Angeles, and designed and built the phone at a former Nokia Oyj factory in Finland.
The gadget is constructed of liquid metal, features a 5.5-inch OLED screen and will run a custom version of Android.
The Appassionato also has a bird feather design on the back that changes color depending on lighting conditions.
The phone is sleek, but Turing chief executive officer Steve YL Chao sees the concierge service as the main attraction.
In an interview, Chao said Sir Alan is adept at booking travel, making dinner reservations and procuring concert tickets.
In a test, the digital knight booked a one-way charter flight on a Boeing 767 from San Francisco to Honolulu (for US$385,000).
Buyers willing to pay US$1,000 for a two-year subscription to the service get the Appassionato for free.
Turing’s previous effort did not go well. The rollout of the Turing Phone was delayed for months, and when it finally arrived last year, it ran not on Android, as promised, but a lesser known operating system called Sailfish.
Turing touted the smartphone’s enhanced security and durability, but reviewers panned its mediocre performance, weak battery and sub-par camera.
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