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Sirin Labs has killed off its $16,000 Android smartphone and cut a third of its workforce

Mar 16, 2017, 12:27 AM YouTube/SIRIN LABSThe discontinued Solarin phone.

Sirin Labs, the Israeli technology company that sells a secure $US16,000 (£13,100) Android smartphone, has ended production of the phone and cut a third of its workforce.

Israeli publication Calcalist first reported the news, and a representative for Sirin Labs confirmed to Business Insider that it had killed off its flagship phone.

“Nearly a year after launching Solarin, Sirin Labs is pursuing new directions to a new product line and therefore restructuring its staff,” the statement read.

“One third of the staff will be let go and the company will concentrate on new hires that will fit into the new company vision. Sirin Labs is still manufacturing Solarin and provides full support on its regular channels – online and offline.”

Calcalist reports that around 30 of the company’s 90 employees have been let go.

The Solarin phone was marketed towards “very, very smart people” and “international business travellers, entrepreneurs, and partners in financial firms,” The Verge reported. Sirin Labs partnered with cybersecurity companies Koolspan and Zimperium to build a more secure version of Android to run on the device.

The smartphone was launched in June 2016 at a press event in London attended by actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. Also in attendance was Sirin Labs cofounder Moshe Hogeg, who previously cofounded viral app “Yo!” which only allowed users to send the word “yo” to each other.


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