Binatone is a British-Chinese company that makes and sells communication technology products. It was founded in the United Kingdom in 1958 by two brothers, Gulu Lalvani and Partap Lalvani. The company was created to bring consumer electronics products into the country and sell them. The name "Binatone" comes from the brothers' sister, Bina. The company produces its own products and also uses the AEG and Motorola brands with permission from their owners.
History
Between 1976 and 1979, Binatone made the "Binatone TV Master," which was one of the first video game consoles.
In 1983, Binatone became the first company in Europe to offer fixed-line consumer products that could be purchased at electronics stores. This event showed the company was slowly changing its focus from audio and video products to telecom products.
In 2008, Dino Lalvani, the son of Gulu Lalvani, bought the company from his father and became chairman.
From 2003 to 2006, Binatone was the official sponsor of the shirts worn by the Queens Park Rangers Football Club.
In 2013, Binatone released ReadMe Mobile, an Android tablet and eReader. The device is designed to read e-books and has a keypad and a screen that does not reflect light.
In January 2021, Binatone created an N95 mask that was combined with a Bluetooth headset. The company introduced the product, called MaskFone, at the CES 2021 event.
Consoles
An early console was the TV Game unit. The first series was the TV Master series, which are black and white Pong games (first generation). The Color TV series are the same games, but with color.
Related brands
Binatone sells baby monitors, pet monitors, telephones, headphones, and car accessories using the Motorola brand name through an agreement with Motorola Mobility and previously with Motorola Inc.
Binatone also owns a company called Hubble Connected, which helps connect devices. In 2014, Binatone bought a company in Bengaluru, India named Connovate, and later combined it with Hubble Connected. In 2016, Dino Lalvani announced that Binatone planned to sell 20% of Hubble Connected and move its main office from the United States to Bengaluru, India.