Tendulkar launched an India-made smartphone.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
Sachin Tendulkar said on Thursday that he wants to see Americans using mobile phones made in India. He was speaking at the launching function of a mobile phone made by Smartron, an Indian company, reported Rediff.com.
He also offered help to domestic companies that are going to utilize the opportunities worldwide.
“This is the second inning of my life. First, I was playing cricket in the field. The second inning is a partnership with entrepreneurs. That means much more to me because if you read what is written behind the product (Smartron) it says designed and engineered in India,” Tendulkar said.
Master blaster himself has invested in Smartron and he is the brand ambassador of the company.
“An Indian company looking to go global is a matter of pride for all of us. I wanted to support this whole-heartedly. It would be a dream (come true) to see Americans carrying this phone and saying this product is made by Indians. Thoughts are there and the result will follow,” he added.
Smartron has introduced a bunch of new products including a smartphone and a tablet-laptop hybrid. The mobile phone named t.phone is a 5.5-inch dual tone colored smartphone.
The 12.2-inch tablet-laptop hybrid is called t.book. it comes with an intel core M processor.
The company that started operation in August 2014 deals in smartphones, tablets, and Iot.
On March 26, Smartron announced Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador.
“Besides being the brand ambassador of Smartron, Sachin is also a strategic shareholder in the company,” a company note said on the same day.
However, the details regarding his investment in the company have not been disclosed.
“We are investing heavily in some advanced technology. It is not easy to build a product company out of India. There are challenges of the ecosystem, original design manufacturers are not here,” said Smartron’s chairman and managing director Mahesh Lingareddy.
Lingareddy who is also the co-founder and CEO of Soft Machines Inc., a US-based semiconductor company with operations in US, India, and Russia.
About his association with the company, Tendulkar said, “I have always been fascinated by technology. Smartron’s founding vision for the need for a robust product ecosystem in the country to grow is very impressive. We need to support brands that are “designed and engineered in India” by our Entrepreneurs and Engineers that ably compete in the global markets. I look forward to being part of the growth journey of Smartron buoyed by tremendous growth opportunities offered by IoT worldwide.”