Amateurs rugged smartphones will be disappointed. The manufacturer behind the Cat smartphones or Motorola Defy will close shop.
Bullitt was not known as such. However, behind this name hid a range of smartphones that were relatively identifiable to the general public. In France, the group notably distributed Caterpillar-labeled smartphones as well as certain accessories for backpackers.
An uncertain fate for the devices in circulation
Unfortunately, as noted by the site Mobile World Live, Bullitt ceased operations recently. Numerous LinkedIn posts from former employees of the company indicate that all of the company’s key personnel were laid off at the end of January after a “restructuring plan» which did not deliver the hoped-for results.
The British company founded in 2009 had been in difficulty for many weeks and had already more or less abandoned its smartphone manufacturing activities to focus on satellite connectivity. This will not have been enough, that said since after “complicated months», the firm closed its doors on January 26, 2024, as we learn from a LinkedIn message from the customer manager at Bullitt Group.
The fate reserved for mobiles and other accessories marketed by the company is unknown at the moment. It is impossible to know if mobiles like the Cat S62 will continue to receive updates or if accessories like the Motorola Defy Satellite Link will continue to work without a hitch in the coming weeks. The company’s satellite connection activities will a priori be taken over by a third party group made up of the firm’s creditors, but the teams have all been decimated.
A shrinking market
If the manufacturer’s products were not intended for the general public, Caterpillar smartphones stood out with new features such as a thermal sensor on the Cat S60. Bullitt was also behind more anecdotal products like the Kodak Ektra, a smartphone manufactured in cooperation with the famous camera brand. The recent slowdown in the smartphone market has unfortunately taken a toll on these products and the company that markets them.
In the niche market for rugged mobiles, there are now only little-known brands such as Doogee or Crosscall, or large manufacturers like Nokia and Samsung who produce ranges dedicated to professionals in the sector. The South Korean manufacturer has also released a tablet capable of operating without battery in recent weeks.
Source : Mobile World Live
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