The Ruby, a mobile LTE hotspot developed by Moscow’s Yota Devices, is debuting outside Russia. Talk Point, a German electronics retailer, is expected to launch sales of the device to both individual customers and other retailers in Germany via its own outlets and partner stores, Yota Devices CEO Vlad Martynov told the Russian business daily Vedomosti last week.
The Ruby, which made headlines in the global portable router market immediately upon its release in May, enables a user to access the Internet in private and public router mode from up to ten different gadgets at a time.
It is also outfitted with a small e-paper display to automatically alert the user to the Ruby’s remaining battery life and notify him of whether and when his network has downshifted from 4G LTE to 3G or even 2G.
Yota Devices COO Lau Geckler told the sector media in May that the new hotspot would get up to 60 hours of battery life on a single charge, making it possible for Wi-Fi-connected smartphones to use three-to-five times less energy for data transmission compared to 3G HSPA+.
Yota Devices is a private company dedicated to mobile communications and connectivity devices. With almost six years of R&D experience under its belt, it was propelled into the international limelight in December 2012 when it unveiled its YotaPhone, Russia’s first Android-powered dual-screen (LCD and EPD) smartphone supporting GSM, 3G, and LTE standards.
The YotaPhone received its first global recognition the very next month when it won a CNET Best of CES award in Las Vegas in January 2013. In June, it took the top prize in the Innovation category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The phone is expected to hit the global market later this year.
