Mobvoi

Mobvoi Information Technology Company Limited is a technological company headquartered in Beijing, China that sells and develops consumer electronics and Chinese voice recognition, natural language processing, and vertical search technology in-house.[1]

Mobvoi
Private
Industry
FoundedOctober 1, 2012 (2012-10-01), in Beijing, China.
Founders
  • Zhifei Li
  • Yuanyuan Li (Co-Founder)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Zhifei Li (Founder & CEO)
  • Yuanyuan Li (Co-Founder)
  • Mike Lei (CTO)
  • Mei-Yuh Hwang (VP. of Engineering)
Products
  • Chumenwenwen Mobile Voice Search
  • TicAuto
  • TicMirror and TicEye
  • TicWatch
  • TicPods
Websitewww.mobvoi.com

The core team members include ex-Googlers, AI experts, former Nokia employees, engineers and researchers from top universities such as Johns Hopkins, Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, and Tsinghua or top-tier Internet companies such as Yahoo Beijing, Baidu, Tencent, etc. Over 60% of the team at Mobvoi are engineers. Since inception, Mobvoi has raised 5 rounds of funding led by Sequoia Capital, Zhenfund, SIG, Perfect Optronics Ltd (HK listed), GoerTek (A- Share listed) and Google with total fundraising amount of US$75 million.[2]

History

Mobvoi was founded in October 2012 by Zhifei Li.[3] In May 2013, Mobvoi released their Voice Search Service featured in the popular messaging app, WeChat.[4] In 2014, Mobvoi launched their independent voice search app called Chumenwenwen,[5] which covers over 60 vertical domains, providing various types of everyday information.[6]

In 2014, Mobvoi released their own Android-based smartwatch operating system, TicWear OS by Google 1.0.[7] Mobvoi partnered with Frog Design to release TicWatch.[8] In June 2015, Mobvoi launched TicWatch in China featuring TicWear 3.0. The TicWatch has been ranking first in sales for Android smartwatches in China, second to Apple Watch on platforms such as JD.com,[9] Tmall, Suning, and Amazon. TicWatch has 100K+ users and 100M+ sales.[10]

Wear OS by Google formed a strategic partnership with Mobvoi to work together on the efforts to bring Wear OS by Google to China. Moto 360[11] is the first Wear OS by Google device in China to carry Chinese voice search and voice controls powered by Mobvoi. Mobvoi launched Mobvoi Store, which is official Wear OS by Google partner in China.[12]

In 2016, Mobvoi launched TicAuto,[13][14][15] an AI enabled mirror for automobiles. CES 2016 showcased Ticauto and Ticmirror in the automotive field innovations section.[16]

In June 2016, TicWatch 2 was launched on JD crowdfunding platform and sold over RMB 12 million within 11 days. On July 25, 2016, Mobvoi launched TicWatch 2 Global Edition on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter achieved its goal of US$50 thousand in less than ten minutes. The campaign generated over 2 million in support in less than 29 days. In April 2017, According to the reports, Mobvoi launched chatbot that can communicate with voice-activated smart home devices.[17]

Products

Chumenwenwen is a voice-activated AI assistance app available on Android and iOS devices. It enables searches in over 60 vertical fields of interest.[18] It provides users the ability to ask it for directions, restaurant suggestions, news, and weather information, among many other options. In 2014, Chumenwenwen became the official voice service provider for Wear OS by Google users in China.

TicAuto

TicAuto is an in-vehicle voice app, integrating speech recognition, semantic analysis, vertical search, TTS and other advanced technology to provide voice navigation, POI search, instant messaging, and on-board entertainment.

TicMirror and TicEye

TicMirror [19] is an in-car robot integrating Mobvoi's voice engine. TicMirror allows users to perform everything they could with TicAuto and more with the addition of 7.84-inch touch screen that doubles as a rear view mirror. It has a 160-degree wide-angle lens allowing it to be used as a 1080p dashcam. TicMirror is compatible with TicEye,[19] which is an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) enable front collision warning and lane departure warnings.

TicWatch and TicWatch 2 Global Edition

TicWatch is Mobvoi's first attempt at creating a smartwatch powered by their TicWear OS by Google operating system. TicWatch is compatible with Android and iOS devices. It can be used as a standalone fitness tracker and has built in GPS and heart rate sensor chipsets. TicWatch was initially introduced for the market in China. Ticwatch 2 Global Edition was later launched for the global users on Kickstarter. The version released in China features an eSim data connection. This feature is removed from the Global Edition due to complications with cellular partners. The Kickstarter raised over 2 million dollars in funding.[20]

TicWatch S and E

The TicWatch S and E models are Mobvoi's second attempt at crowdfunding a smartwatch device on Kickstarter. The devices are powered by Google's Wear OS by Google 2.0 operating system instead of Mobvoi's Ticwear OS, making the models the company's first Wear OS by Google devices.[21] The Kickstarter raised over 3 million dollars with more than 19,000 backers.[22]

TicWatch Pro

The TicWatch Pro[23] was released in mid-2018 running Google's Wear OS by Google. It features a layered display, mixing an AMOLED and LCD screen to extend the battery life. It has two modes of operation. At "Smart Mode", the LCD is always on when wearing and the AMOLED activates for regular Wear OS by Google usage. This should give 2–5 days of battery life. At "Essential Mode", Wear OS by Google is shut down, and only the LCD is active, only featuring time, date, heart rate, steps and battery display. In this mode, up to 30 days of battery life is expected.

The watch comes with NFC (supporting Google Pay), GPS or AGPS, accelerometer, gyro, magnetic sensor, PPG heart rate sensor, ambient light sensor and low latency off-body sensor. It is rated as IP68 water and dust resistance.

TicWatch C2

The TicWatch C2[24] was released in H2 2018.

Ticwatch S2 and E2

The Ticwatch S2[25] and E2[26] were announced for release in January 2019 at CES 2019.[27] They were released on 22 January 2019.[28] The two watches are identical in every way except for the design, and that the S2 is MIL-STD-810G military-grade durability certified, while the E2 is not.[29]

They are powered by the Snapdragon wear 2100, a common SOC in Wear OS smartwatches. They are made out of plastic, have heart rate sensors, 415 mAh batteries and built in GPS. They run Wear OS by Google, thought come with a few pre-installed Mobvoi apps, such as TicHealth and Ticexercise. They have 979 mm²/1.39 inch circular OLED screen, with a resolution of 400×400 pixels. The straps are standard quick release, so can be swapped with other straps, including ones sold by Mobvoi. They are both certified 5 ATM waterproof, which means they can withstand a depth of up to 50 m underwater and are suitable for swimming, although not more intense water sports such as diving. They have a microphone but no speaker. They do not have NFC for contactless payments or an ambient light sensors for automatic brightness. They use the same proprietary magnetic charger by Mobvoi, which is built to fit the watches exactly. They have 512 Mb of RAM and 4 Gb of storage (although quite a lot of that is used up by the operating system and pre-installed apps).

References
  1. "Google Invests in Chinese Search-and-Smartwatch Startup". Wall Street Journal. October 20, 2015. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  2. Kharpal, Arjun (October 20, 2015). "Google dipping toe in China with this investment". CNBC. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  3. "Zhifei Li Linkedin". Linkedin.
  4. "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  5. "'Watch Bro' - JHU Engineering Magazine". JHU Engineering Magazine. January 12, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  6. Warc. "AI and WeChat | warc.com". www.warc.com. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  7. "The inside story of designing the all-Chinese smartwatch". Wareable. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  8. "Ticwatch | frog". frog. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  9. "The inside story of designing the all-Chinese smartwatch". Wareable. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  10. "Mobvoi's TicWatch is getting an international edition this summer". Wareable. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  11. "Mobvoi Launches Smartwatch Powered By Homegrown Android ROM 'TicWear'". TechNode. June 5, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  12. "Google-Backed Mobvoi Launches Chinese Android Wear App Store". TechNode. January 27, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  13. ichenxi (May 12, 2016), ticauto, retrieved November 30, 2016
  14. "TICAUTO Trademark Application of Shanghai Mobvoi Information Technology Company Limited - Serial Number 87125155 :: Justia Trademarks". trademarks.justia.com. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  15. M, Jason (June 8, 2016). "Ticmirror Takes On Android Auto/CarPlay". Tech My Money. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  16. "【优雅智造千人发布会全程回顾，TIC四大智能新品重磅发布！】_出门问问 - 微讯啦". www.weixinla.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  17. "Mobvoi launches Chinese chatbot". The Stack. April 18, 2017. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  18. Mobvoi. "Mobvoi Releases New in-car Infortainment App". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  19. 1.1, Power by:JerryYan QQ:855222 JerrySoft Framework. "Mobvoi-2016上海国际车联网与智慧交通展览会". www.mmcshanghai.org. Retrieved November 7, 2016.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. "Ticwatch 2: The Most Interactive Smartwatch". Kickstarter. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  21. "Android Wear TicWatch S & E Launches on Kickstarter". GizmoChina. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  22. "Ticwatch S & E: A Truly Optimized Smartwatch". Kickstarter. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  23. "Mobvoi.com - TicWatch smartwatch TicPods Free - Official Website". www.Mobvoi.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  24. "TicWatch C2 - A smartwatch that fits your digital lifestyle as much as it fits you". www.Mobvoi.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  25. "TicWatch S2 - The best smartwatch to take your outdoor game to the next level". www.Mobvoi.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  26. "TicWatch E2 - A smartwatch boasts a waterproof rating of 5 ATM making them swim friendly". www.Mobvoi.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  27. Walker-Todd, Alex (January 8, 2019). "TicWatch E2 and S2 launch at CES 2019 with swim-proofing and greater longevity". Trusted Reviews. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  28. "Digital Trends Review Ticwatch E2 & S2". www.digitaltrends.com. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  29. "Mobvoi TicWatch S2 vs. E2: Which should you buy?". Android Central. March 6, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
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