【Watch In the Cut (2003)】

Nextbit,Watch In the Cut (2003) maker of the crowdfunded Android smartphone Robin, has been acquired by Razer, the companies said in a statement Monday.

Though Razer plans to keep Nextbit as a separate unit within the company "focused on unique mobile design and experiences," according to Nextbit's CEO, the company stopped production for Robin and will no longer sell the handset or its accessories.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Recodereports it was an all-stock deal and that all of Nextbit's employees are making the move to Razer. The acquisition suggests the company, which until now had been known for its gaming laptops and accessories, is looking to move into the smartphone business.

"With the talent that Nextbit brings to Razer, we look forward to unleashing more disruption and growing our business in new areas," Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan said in a statement.

The news will no doubt come as somewhat of a disappointment to fans of Robin, which was successfully Kickstarted in 2015. The startup aimed to set its phones apart from other Android devices with its promise of leveraging cloud storage so users would never run out of space on their phones.

Those who backed the original Kickstarter or purchased a Robin since aren't totally out of luck, though.

Writing on the company's forums, Nextbit CEO Tom Moss promised existing users would continue to see software updates and security patches through February 2018. "We are still dedicated to supporting all of you," he wrote.

And while the company is backing away from Robin, Moss hinted that there's much more to come from the team. "We’ll be doing exactly what we’ve been doing all along, only bigger and better."

hvz

Expert writer and contributor. Passionate about sharing knowledge and insights on various topics.