HTC Buys Idle Screen Software Developer Abaxia

HTC Device Portfolio with the Hero out front

HTC is making a software push with the purchase of Abaxia, a French company which builds white-label software for handset manufacturers and operators; the WSJ puts the purchase price at $13.2 million.

Abaxia’s products include “mobile finder” which adds a search function to a phone’s home screen, as well as “mobile portal” which gives carriers a way to promote their services there. The company says its software is used by several major carriers, including Telefonica (NYSE: TEF), and has been embedded on more than 60 different devices made by nine handset makers, including HTC, LG (SEO: 066570), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Sony (NYSE: SNE) Ericcson and Palm.

No details in the very short release about how HTC will integrate Abaxia, although HTC CEO Peter Chou says the deal will let the company “broaden our software development capabilities.” Abaxia CEO Cedric Mangaud says his company has worked closely with HTC in the past and “our businesses compliment each other well.” Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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