Binatone
IndustryElectronics
FoundedUnited Kingdom (1958)
FounderPartap Lalvani
Gulu Lalvani
HeadquartersHong Kong[1]
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsLandline
Mobile phone
Senior phone
Two-way radios
Baby monitor
Tablets
GPS
Websitewww.binatone.com

Binatone is a British-Chinese telecommunications company.

Binatone was started in the United Kingdom in 1958 by two brothers, Gulu Lalvani and Partap Lalvani, to import and distribute consumer electronics.[2] The company was named after their sister, Bina.[3][4]

History

Binatone TV Master Mk IV
Binatone Trend wall phone from the early 2000s

Between 1976 and 1979, Binatone produced the "Binatone TV Master" series of first generation video game consoles.

In 1983 Binatone was the first in Europe with fixed-line consumer products that could be bought at electronics retailers.[5] This marked the beginning of a gradual change from Binatone's focus on audio and vision to telecom products.

In 2008, Dino Lalvani, son of Gulu Lalvani, purchased the company from his father and took over as chairman.[6]

Binatone was the official shirt sponsor of Queens Park Rangers Football Club from 2003 to 2006.[7]

Binatone manufactures products under its own brand apart from utilising the AEG and Motorola brands under licence.[8]

In 2013, Binatone released ReadMe Mobile, an Android tablet/eReader.[9] The device specializes as an eBook with a keypad, and a non-reflective screen.[9]

Binatone created an N95 mask and combined it with a Bluetooth headset in January of 2021.[10] The company unveiled MaskFone at the CES 2021.[10]

Consoles

A very early console was the TV Game unit but the first series was the TV master series which are black & white pongs (first generation).

  • TV Master MK IV
  • TV Master 4 plus 2
  • TV Master MK 6
  • TV Master MK 8
  • TV Master MK 10

The Colour TV series are the same games but in colour.

  • Colour TV Game
  • Colour TV Game 4 plus 2
  • Colour TV Game MK 6
  • Colour TV Game MK 10

Binatone markets baby monitors, pet monitors, telephones, headphones and car accessories under the Motorola brand name under an agreement with Motorola Mobility and earlier, Motorola Inc.[11][12][13][14][15]

Binatone also operates a subsidiary Hubble Connected that acts as a platform for connected devices. It acquired a Bengaluru, India-based startup Connovate in 2014 that merged into Hubble.[16][17] In 2016, Dino Lalvani announced that Binatone intended to sell 20% of Hubble while shifting its corporate offices from the United States to Bengaluru, India.[18]

References

  1. ↑ Metcalfe, Tim (17 September 2005). "A buzzing trade boosts Binatone". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Top 20 Richest Asians". Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  3. ↑ Singh, Kishore (22 January 2014). "Will the real Bina Ramani stand up?". Business Standard. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  4. ↑ Whitehead, Kate (30 October 2015). "Socialite Bina Ramani on partition, a Bollywood romance and a murder". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  5. ↑ "Dect Conference 2014 » Binatone". Archived from the original on 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
  6. ↑ "Binatone-Dino Lalvani, Chairman Press Release". Archived from the original on 2014-09-01. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
  7. ↑ "Binatone". Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  8. ↑ "Binatone Ushers in a New Era of Wireless Connected Devices with VerveLife from Motorola". www.prnewswire.com. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Binatone ReadMe Mobile: Android tablet / ereader mishmash announced". Pocket-lint. 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  10. 1 2 "Binatone's MaskFone combines an N95 mask with a Bluetooth headset". HT Tech. 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  11. ↑ "Binatone Acquires License Rights to Motorola Mobility's Accessories to Scale Its Global Business". Business Wire. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  12. ↑ "Motorola lends name to Binatone devices to launch "VerveLife"". SlashGear. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  13. ↑ O'Kane, Sean (15 March 2017). "Motorola's new wireless earbuds are cheaper, but they're still not worth your money". The Verge. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  14. ↑ Hogeveen, Caroline (15 January 2019). "This Genius Cushion Monitors Your Baby's Breathing & Sleeping Patterns". Romper. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  15. ↑ Healey, Nic (5 January 2019). "Motorola Scout 5000 pet tracker is a connected dog collar". CNET. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  16. ↑ Ambre, Ashna (13 October 2014). "Binatone Group acquires Connovate Technology". Mint. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  17. ↑ Krishnamurthy, Krithika (13 October 2014). "Binatone acquires Gecko-maker Connovate for an undisclosed amount". The Economic Times. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  18. ↑ Aulakh, Gulveen (7 March 2016). "Binatone plans to sell 20% stake in Internet of things unit Hubble". The Economic Times. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
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