Google quietly buys UK startup Redux that turns surfaces into speakers

Redux developed technology that eliminated the need for small speakers in mobile phones

Engineering talent from Redux could help Google develop better smartphones

Alphabet’s Google has quietly acquired a UK startup focused on technology that turns surfaces such as phone displays into speakers.

Redux developed technology that eliminates the need for small speakers in mobile phones, freeing up space for batteries or other components, the Cambridge based startup said on its now defunct website.

It is unclear when Alphabet – via an Ireland-based subsidiary of Google – acquired the company, but the transfer of shares of Redux’s holding company, NVF Tech, to the US technology giant was confirmed on 13 December, according to UK regulatory filings.

Crunchbase said the deal happened in August.

A spokesperson for Google declined to comment on a purchase price, or other the details of the acquisition.

Backed by investors including Arie Capital, Redux raised $5m (£3.7m) in March 2017 and concentrated on markets including computing, mobile, automotive and industrial controls.

The startup had 178 granted patents, according to its LinkedIn page.

Alphabet has a range of potential uses for the technology. Its main Google division started selling its own smartphones in 2016, so new engineering talent from Redux may help the company develop handsets with better sound.

Redux’s technology could also be used to create haptic feedback, which gives the sense of touch on a surface such as a screen.

At the CES consumer electronics conference in Las Vegas this week, Google is heavily promoting its voice-controlled speakers that compete with Amazon’s Echo device.

Bloomberg