China doesn't seem to want Pepsi's branded Android phone
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Ben is a technology journalist with a specialism in mobile devices and a geeky love of mobile spectrum issues. Ben used to be a professional (show all) Ben is a technology journalist with a specialism in mobile devices and a geeky love of mobile spectrum issues. Ben used to be a professional online poker player. You can contact him via Twitter or on Google+.
When news of a Pepsi smartphone launching leaked, it seemed a bit of a left-field move that made little sense.
Once announced, however, it made more sense. It's aimed at the Chinese market, which is far more welcoming of branded limited edition devices. I said it made more sense, not a lot of sense.
To date, the crowdfunding campaign has raised ¥ 1,347,920 (~$210,000) of its ¥ 3,000,000 (~$470,000) target. Less than half way with only four days left to run isn't a great position to be in, and poses potential embarrassment for Pepsi. It's no fun launching a high-profile crowdfunding campaign only to fall short.
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Credit: Pepsi / JD.com
The handset would be made by Chinese manufacturer Koobee if the campaign hits its goal. In fact, it's already being made by Koobee because it's pretty much its Halo 7 model with a Pepsi logo slapped on it.
It would seem that the Chinese market isn't quite as excited by that as Pepsi thought it would be.
Branded device tie-ups might occasionally make some genuine sense, but I'm not sure it's that surprising that a pre-existing device with a free advertising opportunity on it hasn't set the crowdfunding scene alight.
Of course, if that's exactly what you want, then there's still four days to keep your hopes alive.
➤Pepsi phone – longing, endless possibilities [JD Finance via Tech Node]