HTC Buys Dashwire, Gears Up For Mobile Cloud

In addition to its mobile and Web application technology, Dashwire brings a portfolio of patents licensed from Intellectual Ventures, which HTC could use to protect itself in any potential patent wars brewing between mobile device vendors.

Seattle-based Dashwire is the developer of Dashworks, a platform that allows users to integrate mobile devices with the Web and their mobile computers into a single platform using cloud-based resources. Dashworks enables users to set up and personalize their mobile devices and seamlessly access their mobile content across multiple screens and services.

Taiwan-based HTC said it plans to use Dashwire's cloud sync and device setup products to extend the HTCSense.com cloud services it launched last year.

Dashwire in April signed an agreement with Intellectual Ventures under which it would license patents the company could use to protect itself from potential intellectual property lawsuits.

id
unit-1659132512259
type
Sponsored post

Intellectual Ventures, recently profiled extensively by NPR, holds more than 30,000 patents that it licenses to companies.

Ford Davidson, founder and CEO of Dashwire, said in a statement when the license deal was signed, “In an industry where some companies choose to compete in the courtroom instead of the market, working with Intellectual Ventures enabled us to gain a strategic IP partner with years of industry experience. Intellectual Ventures has helped us establish a foundation of patent coverage so we can continue to focus on innovation and creating products that our customers love.”

HTC declined to comment for this story. However, in a statement, Fred Liu, president of engineering and operations for HTC, called cloud services the key to delivering the promise of connected services to customers.

"People want access to all of their important content wherever they are on any device. The addition of Dashwire's cutting-edge sync services and deep mobile cloud experience strengthens our ability to deliver these services in a more powerful way," Liu said in the statement.