HTC, a Taiwanese handset manufacturer, acquired Dashwire for $18.5 million to beef up its cloud-based services that lets users synchronize their photos, contacts and videos online. Dashwire is a mobile cloud platform based in Seattle and backed by Trilogy Equity Partners and Best Buy Capital. The company was founded in 2006 to develop cloud-based services allowing users to access their mobile content across multiple screens.
HTC has been able to compete strongly in the crowded smartphone market and is looking to expand to the cloud. The Dashwire purchase will also equip the company with the patents necessary to stay out of lawsuits that has cost the company millions of dollars. HTC currently has legal issues with Apple, and the International Trade Commission earlier this month ruled that HTC violated two of Apple’s patents in manufacturing its Android devices. The company appealed the ruling and if the decision is not reversed, HTC will likely have to pay Apple royalties on every phone it makes, cutting into the company’s profits.
HTC is planning to integrate Dashwire’s cloud sync and device set up products into the HTCSense.com cloud services it launched last year.
Fred Liu, HTC’s president of engineering and operations says “People want access to all of their important content wherever they are on any device. Dashwire’s cutting-edge sync services and deep mobile cloud experience strengthens our ability to deliver these services in a more powerful way.”
HTC acquired in July its long-term partner S3 Graphics for $300m from Taiwanese chip maker Via Technologies. The acquisition gave the handset firm 235 patents, mostly related to graphics technology, to bolster its portfolio.