China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Limited (NASDAQ: CNTF) ("TechFaith" or the "Company") today announced it will launch its first wearable, ruggedized, waterproof Smartwatch, branded the "A-Watch", on the 18th of this month.
TechFaith's A-Watch will leverage the Company's extensive leadership in the ruggedized segment. Based on the Android Jelly Bean operating system, the ruggedized A-Watch will be equipped with a 1.6 inch always glanceable, vibrant LCD screen. TechFaith's smart A-Watch is IP68 and MIL-S810G certified. In addition to being ruggedized and waterproof, the smart A-Watch will feature a Personalized Fitness Manager, Heart Rate Sensor, e-Compass, Smart Notification through Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity, and many additional features and functionality.
Mr. Deyou Dong, President and COO of TechFaith, said, "TechFaith is optimistic about the potential of the global wearable market. The market is set to quickly become a major growth driver of the technology and communications markets. Projections for the Smartwatch segment alone call for it to reach approximately US$10 billion by 2018 (source: Citi). Clearly, there is a lot of attention being devoted to the broader wearable market given the potential market size and incremental growth. The launch of our first wearable, ruggedized and waterproof Smartwatch will serve to expand our addressable market in the domestic China market over the near term and to other key markets worldwide over the longer-term, while expanding our successful ruggedized family of phones and notebooks. Given our differentiated position and potential for our ruggedized and waterproof smart A-Watch, we plan to take an even more aggressive promotion and marketing support strategy."
