MagCom

MagCom was a Norwegian mobile-phone manufacturer founded in Oslo in 1999. The company developed and marketed a single GSM handset, the MagCom phone, which was designed as a premium and technologically advanced alternative to the mainstream mobile phones of its period. Its casing used magnesium, and the device combined a large monochrome display with functions that were relatively sophisticated for the early 2000s, including email, web browsing, calendar and contact management, software updates, and synchronization with Microsoft Outlook. The company attracted substantial attention before its product reached consumers. Technology and business publications promoted the handset extensively, with some coverage presenting it as a possible industry-changing product. Delays before commercial availability increased anticipation and raised expectations regarding the phone’s functionality, reliability, and competitive position. The handset eventually went on sale in April 2001 as a tri-band GSM phone. MagCom’s product proposition emphasized both advanced functionality and distinctive industrial design. Its large black-and-white LCD reportedly displayed up to 27 lines of text, while the phone supported SMTP and POP3 email, an HTML-capable browser, automatic network-based clock adjustment, and a full calendar, appointment, and address-book suite. Software could be upgraded by the user. Later software revisions added support for WAP pages, which broadened the phone’s compatibility with the mobile web services of the time. The magnesium enclosure and form factor were also promoted as contributing to a very low specific absorption rate, reported at 0.043 W/kg, well below the regulatory limits cited for Europe and the United States at the time. Despite the attention surrounding the handset and the release of several software updates, sales remained low. MagCom encountered financial difficulties after commercial launch. The company announced plans for a newer and improved model, but the prospect of a successor was not sufficient to secure additional financing. Production stopped in early August 2001. In September 2001, MagCom was acquired by the Norwegian technology company Q-Free. It subsequently operated for approximately another year under the name Q-Free MagCom, while remaining a separate entity for a period. Production of MagCom phones ultimately ended, and the brand is now defunct. The company is historically notable as an early example of a small handset maker attempting to compete through a combination of advanced software, integrated personal-information-management tools, unusual materials, and a distinctive low-radiation design claim. Its brief commercial life also illustrates the difficulty of converting strong pre-launch media interest into sustainable handset sales and financing.

MagCom was established in Oslo in 1999 as a Norwegian developer and manufacturer of GSM mobile phones. Rather than launching a broad handset portfolio, the company concentrated its resources on a single distinctive product. The handset was intended to stand apart from conventional phones through its materials, form factor, display, software architecture, and integrated organizer functions. In the period before release, MagCom received unusually enthusiastic attention from technology and information-technology media. Coverage frequently highlighted the phone’s ambitious feature set and treated it as a potential challenge to established handset designs. Delays in bringing the product to market intensified public expectations. The phone finally became available in April 2001 as a triple-band GSM handset. The MagCom phone offered a large monochrome LCD with approximately 64,000 pixels and space for as many as 27 lines of text. Its communications and software functions included SMTP and POP3 email, an HTML-supporting browser, user-upgradable software, network-based automatic clock adjustment through NTP, and calendar, appointment, and address-book tools. The organizer data could be synchronized with Microsoft Outlook. The initial browser software supported HTML rather than WAP; later software updates added WAP support. The device’s physical design was another central part of the proposition. A magnesium casing and the handset’s form factor were presented as contributing to a notably low specific absorption rate. The cited SAR value was 0.043 W/kg, compared with legal limits identified in the reference material as 2.0 W/kg in Europe and 1.6 W/kg in the United States at the time. Commercial performance did not match the pre-launch publicity. Sales remained low even after software updates were issued. MagCom experienced financial difficulties and was unable to obtain enough additional support to continue its development program. Information about a planned, improved successor model did not resolve the financing problem. Production was halted in early August 2001. In September 2001, the Norwegian company Q-Free acquired MagCom. The business continued for roughly another year as Q-Free MagCom and remained separate for part of that period, but the handset operation did not recover. Phone production ceased, leaving MagCom as a short-lived handset brand remembered for its advanced feature set and ambitious attempt to enter the mobile-phone market with a single premium product.

• 2001

  MagCom phone reaches the market

  [1]MagComen.wikipedia.org

  The company’s single product, a triple-band GSM handset, went on sale in April after delays and extensive media anticipation.

• 2001

  Production ends

  [1]MagComen.wikipedia.org

  Low sales and financial problems led MagCom to halt production in early August.

• 2001

  Acquisition by Q-Free

  [1]MagComen.wikipedia.org

  Q-Free acquired MagCom in September, after which the business operated temporarily under the Q-Free MagCom name.

• 1999

  MagCom is founded in Oslo

  [1]MagComen.wikipedia.org

  MagCom was founded in Oslo, Norway, as a manufacturer and developer of GSM cellular handsets.

A premium, design-led and technically ambitious early-2000s GSM handset brand focused on advanced software features, personal-information management, low reported SAR, and a magnesium enclosure.

• Triple-band GSM mobile phone · 2001

  MagCom cellular phone

  MagCom’s only known commercial product was a triple-band GSM handset released in April 2001. It featured a large black-and-white LCD capable of displaying approximately 27 lines of text, SMTP and POP3 email, an HTML-capable browser, user-upgradable software, NTP-based automatic clock adjustment, and calendar, appointment, and address-book functions synchronized with Microsoft Outlook. Later software updates added WAP support. The magnesium casing and design were marketed partly on the basis of a reported SAR value of 0.043 W/kg. Production ended in 2001.

• 2001

  Launch of the triple-band MagCom handsetProduct launch

  Background

  MagCom entered the market after a period of strong technology-media attention and delays that increased expectations for its sole handset.

  Action taken

  The company released its triple-band GSM phone for sale in April 2001, promoting its advanced software, organizer functions, magnesium construction, and low reported SAR.

  Aftermath

  Sales remained low, and subsequent software updates and plans for an improved model did not prevent the company from developing financial problems.

  Source

• 2001

  Attempt to secure financing for an improved successorStrategy

  Background

  Weak sales and financial pressure threatened MagCom’s ability to continue its handset business.

  Action taken

  MagCom publicized an upcoming improved model in an effort to sustain interest and obtain additional financial support.

  Aftermath

  The effort did not secure sufficient support; production was halted in early August 2001.

  Source

• 2001

  Acquisition by Q-FreeM&A

  Background

  Following production problems and financial difficulty, MagCom required a corporate transaction to continue operating.

  Action taken

  Q-Free acquired MagCom in September 2001, with the business continuing temporarily as Q-Free MagCom.

  Aftermath

  The separate operation lasted for approximately another year, but handset production ultimately ceased.

  Source

1. 1MagComen.wikipedia.org