Titan acquihires IoT wearables startup HUG Innovations
Hyderabad-based startup HUG Innovations' CEO and Founder Raj Neravati, along with 23 others in his team, have joined Titan Company from January 2020.
Titan Company Limited on Tuesday announced that it has acquihired Hyderabad-based technology and wearables firm HUG Innovations. It also announced the launch of 'Titan Connected X', a full-touch smartwatch with 13 features, in the Indian market.
S Ravi Kant, CEO of Titan Company Limited, said the Raj Neravati, the Founder and CEO of HUG Innovations Raj Neravati, along with 23 others in his team, had joined the Titan Company from January 1, 2020.
"Titan also gets an advantage to access their (HUG's) consumer platform and IPs that are extremely relevant in the company's wearable journey," the company said.
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After the acquihiring, HUG Innovations team would form Titan's Development Centre in Hyderabad, the company said.
Speaking about the launch, Ravi Kant told the media, "The product will be available in all leading Titan stores in March 2020."
The watch boasts of features like a 1.2" full colour touch screen with analogue hands, activity tracking, heart rate monitoring, find phone, camera control, sleep tracking, weather, calendar alerts, customisable watch faces, music, and selfie control on the go.
The price of the watch is Rs 14,995.
Founded by Raj Shekhar Neravati in October 2014, HUG Innovations offers an IoT wearable Hug Smartwatch that provides all the standard features of a smartwatch ‑ call management, dialing contacts, notification alerts from social media (WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn), e-mails, and news.
The watch also provides a standard template of messages, which a user can respond with, in case he/she is unable to receive a call.
With virtual reality (VR) features, the watch acts as a game controller or a gesture controller when connected to the VR glass.
According to Raj, the three functionalities that differentiate the product from a smartphone include personal safety, IoT gesturing, and integration with nutrition, health, or fitness regimes.
(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)