Ever heard of "Huawei?" You'd be forgiven if the name of the Chinese telecom company doesn't immediately jog your memory. The company, founded in 1987, has traditionally been known for its telecom and networking equipment. But in recent years, it's made a bigger push into consumer products such as mobile phones running Google Android, wearables and tablets. It's got 8.3 percent market share for smartphones, making it the third-largest smartphone brand in the world, and is much-better known abroad than here.
Will Huawei overtake Apple and Samsung electronics products anytime soon in this country? It's unlikely, but the company has been aggressively pricing its own products in Europe and the U.S. and recently sued Samsung over cell phone and software patents.
Don't be surprised if it's a brand you hear a lot more about in the future.
In this space every week, we'll define a tech term, offer a timely tip or answer questions about technology from readers. Email ogallaga@statesman.com.
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