TrekStor
TrekStor was a German consumer-electronics brand known for portable storage, MP3 players, e-book readers, tablets and related mobile devices.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
TrekStor was a German consumer-electronics manufacturer and brand established in 2001 by Daniel Szmigiel in Lorsch, Hesse. The company began with USB flash drives, including products incorporating biometric fingerprint security, and broadened its portfolio during the early 2000s into portable digital media and storage products. Its best-known categories became MP3 players, external hard drives, USB memory devices, tablet computers and, later, e-book readers and selected mobile products. The brand operated from Germany while relying substantially on Asian manufacturing. Its German activities included sales, product development, quality management and parts of production and logistics. TrekStor became particularly visible in the German retail market through product families such as DataStation external storage, MovieStation media products, vibez and i.Beat digital audio players, and later SurfTab tablets. This gave the company a position between specialist storage suppliers and mass-market consumer-electronics brands. TrekStor expanded beyond storage and audio as portable computing developed. It introduced an e-book reader in 2010 and subsequently developed products for mobile connectivity, including a portable UMTS WLAN hotspot and Android smartphones made in cooperation with Huawei. From 2012, its digital-reading activity included the TrekStor Liro Ink electronic-ink reader, marketed in connection with the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. Tablets became an important later category, with Android-based SurfTab products and Windows-based devices designed for consumers seeking inexpensive portable computers. The company encountered financial difficulties after a period of declining performance and filed for insolvency in July 2009. An investment and asset-backed financing arrangement involving Telefield International Holdings Limited enabled a successor company, TrekStor GmbH, to continue operations. The successor took over employees, inventory and intellectual-property rights from the earlier entity. TrekStor subsequently continued launching storage, reading, tablet and mobile products rather than disappearing immediately after the insolvency filing. The brand also attracted criticism in 2007 when an MP3 player name, i.Beat blaxx, was interpreted as a racial pun in English. TrekStor quickly changed the name to TrekStor Blaxx. The episode became one of the most visible controversies associated with the company. TrekStor later entered additional product areas, including street-legal electric scooters. In 2017 it was identified as the manufacturer of the Porsche Design Book One, a premium Windows convertible computer. By 2019, the company had returned to full ownership by the Szmigiel family according to the cited historical account. The operating entity TrekStor GmbH was renamed TS-Service GmbH in 2022 and filed for insolvency later that year. The Wikipedia subject is therefore treated as a defunct German manufacturer and brand, although the historical TrekStor name and product identity remain associated with its former consumer-electronics portfolio.
History
TrekStor was founded in 2001 by Daniel Szmigiel in Lorsch, a town in the German state of Hesse. Its initial focus was portable USB storage, including flash drives with biometric security features such as integrated fingerprint readers. The company used this storage foundation to establish a broader consumer-electronics business rather than remaining a specialist memory-device supplier. In 2003, TrekStor added MP3 players and external hard drives. These categories became central to the brand's identity as portable digital media became mainstream. Product families including DataStation, MovieStation, vibez and i.Beat helped TrekStor build recognition in Germany, particularly through retailers selling affordable storage and entertainment hardware. The company conducted key commercial, development and quality functions in Germany, while much of its manufacturing took place in Asia. The business grew during the middle of the decade and later operated from Bensheim, also in Hesse. Its expansion brought it into direct competition with larger electronics companies in storage, audio and portable media. In 2007, TrekStor experienced a naming controversy surrounding the i.Beat blaxx MP3 player. Critics argued that the name sounded like an offensive racial phrase when spoken in English. The company responded rapidly by changing the name to TrekStor Blaxx. The incident did not end the brand's product activity, but it remains a notable example of a consumer-electronics naming decision creating reputational risk across language markets. Following two years of weaker performance, TrekStor GmbH & Co. KG filed for insolvency on July 21, 2009. The business was preserved through financing and investment associated with Telefield International Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong-based company. A new TrekStor GmbH was established in early November 2009 and took over employees, inventory and intellectual-property rights from the former entity. This restructuring allowed the brand to continue operating and developing products under the TrekStor name. The successor broadened its portfolio in the following years. In 2010 it released an e-book reader and entered additional mobile-product categories. It introduced a portable UMTS WLAN hotspot and two Android smartphones developed with Huawei. From 2012 onward, TrekStor pursued digital reading with the electronic-ink Liro Ink reader, marketed through a relationship with the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. Tablets then became an increasingly important part of its range. In autumn 2013, the company introduced the first Volks-Tablet in cooperation with Bild.de. Subsequent products included Android-based tablets and Windows devices. The SurfTab wintron 10.1 and its 3G version represented a move into Windows 8.1 with Bing, with an attachable keyboard enabling a more notebook-like use case. By the middle of the following year, the Volks-Tablet family had reached a later generation, demonstrating TrekStor's effort to compete in low-cost portable computing. TrekStor continued working with external design and technology partners. Its 2017 role as manufacturer of the Porsche Design Book One connected the company with a premium industrial-design label, even though TrekStor's broader portfolio remained focused on accessible consumer products. Around the same period, the company maintained its German operational base while depending heavily on international production. By 2019, the business had returned to full ownership by the Szmigiel family according to the cited historical account. TrekStor also expanded into street-legal electric scooters, reflecting the wider consumer-electronics industry's movement toward personal mobility products. The operating company was renamed TS-Service GmbH on May 30, 2022. TS-Service GmbH filed for insolvency on October 1, 2022. The available reference material consequently describes TrekStor as a defunct German manufacturer, with its historical brand associated primarily with portable storage, digital audio, tablets and reading devices.
- 2022
TS-Service insolvency
[1]TrekStor GmbH is renamed TS-Service GmbH and the renamed entity later files for insolvency.
- 2017
Porsche Design Book One manufacturing role
[1]TrekStor manufactures the Porsche Design Book One convertible computer.
- 2013
First Volks-Tablet
[1]TrekStor introduces the first Volks-Tablet in cooperation with Bild.de.
- 2010
E-book-reader launch
[1]TrekStor adds e-book readers to its product portfolio.
- 2009
Insolvency and corporate restructuring
[1]The original company files for insolvency; a successor backed by Telefield-related financing continues the business.
- 2007
i.Beat naming controversy
[2]The i.Beat blaxx name is criticized and quickly changed to TrekStor Blaxx.
- 2003
Expansion into audio and external storage
[1]TrekStor adds MP3 players and external hard drives to its USB-storage business.
- 2001
TrekStor is established
[1]Daniel Szmigiel establishes TrekStor in Lorsch, Hesse, initially focusing on USB storage products.
Products and positioning
German-designed and marketed consumer electronics focused on accessible portable storage, digital media, reading and mobile computing products.
External storage
DataStation
DataStation was TrekStor's major external-storage family, associated with portable and desktop hard drives for backing up, transporting and expanding digital files. The line represented the company's core position in consumer data storage.
Digital media devices
MovieStation
MovieStation was a TrekStor media-product family aimed at storing and playing digital video and other multimedia content. It reflected the brand's expansion from raw storage hardware into living-room and portable digital entertainment.
Portable audio players
vibez
vibez was a TrekStor digital-audio line. The range contributed to the company's visibility in the MP3-player market and included products recognized in design coverage, including a Red Dot Design Award reference for TrekStor Vibez.
MP3 players
i.Beat
i.Beat was TrekStor's principal MP3-player family. It included multiple generations of portable digital-audio devices and was central to the brand's early consumer-electronics identity. The blaxx model was renamed TrekStor Blaxx following criticism of its original name.
E-book readers · 2012
Liro Ink
Liro Ink was an electronic-ink e-book reader introduced as part of TrekStor's expansion into digital reading. It was marketed in connection with the German Publishers and Booksellers Association and represented a shift toward dedicated reading hardware.
Tablet computers
SurfTab
SurfTab was TrekStor's tablet family. It included Android products such as the SurfTab xiron 10.1 3G and Windows-based SurfTab wintron devices. Some models supported mobile connectivity, while others could be paired with attachable keyboards.
Tablet computers · 2013
Volks-Tablet
The Volks-Tablet was a mass-market tablet initiative developed with Bild.de. Early versions used Android, while later products included Windows-based configurations. The series was positioned as an accessible tablet line for the German market.
Convertible notebook computer · 2017
Porsche Design Book One
The Porsche Design Book One was a premium convertible Windows computer for which TrekStor served as manufacturer. The product connected TrekStor's manufacturing capabilities with Porsche Design's industrial-design and luxury-brand positioning.
Controversies
2007
i.Beat blaxx naming controversy
TrekStor announced an MP3 player under the name i.Beat blaxx. English-language observers criticized the name because its pronunciation could be interpreted as a racially offensive phrase. The company renamed the product TrekStor Blaxx shortly afterward.
Brand decisions
2013
Enter the Volks-Tablet partnershipProduct launchBackground
TrekStor sought to expand its tablet business and reach a broad German consumer audience.
Action taken
The company collaborated with Bild.de to introduce the first Volks-Tablet.
Aftermath
The tablet family continued through later generations and included Android and Windows configurations.
2009
Continue operations through a successor companyStrategyBackground
The original TrekStor entity entered insolvency after declining business performance.
Action taken
With financing and investment associated with Telefield International Holdings Limited, TrekStor GmbH was established and took over employees, inventory and intellectual-property rights.
Aftermath
The TrekStor brand continued launching storage, reading, mobile and tablet products after the restructuring.
2007
Rename the i.Beat blaxx playerOtherBackground
The original product name generated criticism because of its possible English-language interpretation.
Action taken
TrekStor changed the name to TrekStor Blaxx shortly after the criticism emerged.
Aftermath
The revised name was used in subsequent references to the product, limiting the duration of the naming issue.
Recent events
- 2022
TrekStor operating entity renamed TS-Service GmbH[1]
Bankruptcy
TrekStor GmbH changed its legal name to TS-Service GmbH before entering insolvency proceedings later in the year.
- 2017
TrekStor launches Porsche Design Book One[1]
Product launch
TrekStor was identified as the manufacturer of the Porsche Design Book One, a premium convertible Windows computer.
- 2013
TrekStor expands into tablets and mobile products[1]
Product launch · Product generation
TrekStor developed tablet products, including the Volks-Tablet created in cooperation with Bild.de, and continued its SurfTab range across Android and Windows platforms.
- 2010
TrekStor enters e-book-reader market[1]
Product launch
The company added an e-book reader to its product portfolio as it expanded beyond storage, audio and conventional media devices.
- 2009
TrekStor announces insolvency[1]
Bankruptcy
The original TrekStor GmbH & Co. KG filed for insolvency after a period of declining business performance.
- 2009
Investor financing enables TrekStor continuation[1]
M&A
Telefield International Holdings Limited provided investment and asset-backed financing, supporting the creation of a successor TrekStor GmbH that assumed key assets and operations.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/trekstor · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled