
If you follow smartphones you’ve probably seen a pretty cool phone appear out of nowhere recently, the V1, from a company you’ve probably never heard of, Saygus. The V1 is an Android-based phone that closely resembles Verizon’s Droid. It looks impressive, and when you throw in its video conferencing capabilities, seems almost too good to be true. Maybe it is. I found it unusual that such a sophisticated-looking phone could be made by such an unknown company like Saygus, so I set off to discover everything I could about the firm. What I found left me with more questions than answers.
I’m pretty plugged into the smartphone scene, so I was eager to find out where Saygus came from and what sort of smartphone-making expertise it was bringing to the table. The rumor that the V1 would come out of Verizon’s Open Development initiative, in particular, really piqued my curiosity. But while I was unable to come up with much information about the company (there’s not a lot available), what I did find struck me as bizarre.
Saygus, according to its web site, is based in South Jordan, Utah; it was founded by CEO Chad Sayers. It bills itself as an “innovative leader in the communications industry specializing in the design, development, beta testing and market implementation of the world‘s first live wireless two-way video conferencing PCDA (Personal Communications Data Assistant).”
Saygus is set to release in the “fourth quarter of this year” the V1 — “the world’s first two-way live video conferencing PCDA.” The picture of the V1 (above) depicts the phone that is appearing all over the web as the new Android phone to possibly be carried by Verizon.
As to founder and CEO Sayers, a quick Google search revealed that he’s also president and CEO of Sandy, Utah-based PSNet Inc. According to that company’s site, PSNet is an “innovative leader in the communications industry specializing in the design, development, beta testing and market implementation of the world‘s first live wireless two-way video conferencing PCDA (Personal Communications Data/Digital Assistant) and development of the world’s most advanced “Data Mining” technology.” Sound familiar?

PSNet Nav
And PSNet is set to release in the “third quarter of this year” the Nav — “The Worlds First PCDA – Personal Communications Digital Assistant – Cell Phone/Live Video/Internet/802.11g/Bluetooth Integrated.” That’s a picture of the Nav on the right.
A closer look at the PSNet web site makes clear that PSNet is short for People Savings Network, and shows “The Peoples Friend” Chad Sayers looking for the best shopping deals for us all. The longer I spent looking around the PSNet site the more confused I got as to how this company could be producing a top-tier smartphone.
So what we have is two companies with the same chief, producing what (based on their product descriptions) sounds like the same gadget, even though they look nothing alike. It makes me wonder whether I’ll ever see either device hit the shelves.
Another Google search, this time of “PSNet Sayers,” led me to a Reuters news item that detailed a $10 million suit filed in 2008 against both PSNet and Chad Sayers for breach of contract in Utah. According to the report:
The lawsuit filed by the Flint, Michigan, auto parts company, Needa Parts Manufacturing, Inc., claims that PSNet agreed to invest $10 million dollars in Needa Parts, but breached its contract. The complaint alleges that Needa Parts and PSNet entered into a detailed agreement specifying that PSNet was to purchase a majority interest in Needa Parts. According to the suit, PSNet and Sayers repeatedly deceived Needa Parts regarding how much money would be paid, and when PSNet would pay it.
The Reuters article goes on to note that PSNet also owns PSNet Realty and PSNet Classified, which would make its portfolio notably diversified.
I could find no official affiliation between Saygus and PSNet, only that they share the same CEO. And they are both located in Utah, although a PSNet (People Savings Network) Communications was listed as being in Las Vegas as of 2006. The president and director of record for the Vegas-based PSNet? Chad Sayers.
I was able to speak with a representative of Saygus by phone, and asked about the connection between PSNet and Saygus. I was told that “about a year ago” PSNet decided to stop operating and to change its name to Saygus, and had not gotten around to killing the PSNet web site — or even redirecting the URL to the Saygus site. That should be done soon, according to the person I spoke with, perhaps by the time this article is published. I know one thing for certain: I’m still unclear how Saygus could be in the top-tier phone business, no matter what name it’s using.
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