aigo
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Féng Jūn (冯军) |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Féng Jūn (President) |
| Products | Mobile Internet devices, digital storage (USB keys & hard drives), portable media players, cell phones, digital cameras, solar power chargers, MP6 (internet music platform), educational products |
| Services | Digital music |
| Subsidiaries | over 20 |
| Website | www.aigo.com |
Aigo (stylized as aigo) (simplified Chinese: 爱国者; traditional Chinese: 愛國者; pinyin: Àiguózhě; lit. 'patriot') is the trade name of Chinese consumer electronics company Beijing Huaqi Information Digital Technology Co Ltd.[1] aigo should not be capitalized, much like "iPod". Its head office is in the Ideal Plaza (S: 理想国际大厦, T: 理想國際大廈, P: Lǐxiǎng Guójì Dàshà) in Haidian District, Beijing.[2]
History
Beijing Huaqi Information Digital Technology Co Ltd (北京华旗资讯科技发展有限公司) is a consumer electronics manufacturer headquartered in Beijing.[3] It was founded by Féng Jūn, its current president,[citation needed] in 1993 and initially produced keyboards.[1] aigo may be participating in a trend that sees Chinese nationals preferring to purchase locally produced durable goods, which have increased in quality as of late.[4]
Products
aigo's products include MIDs, digital media players, computer cases, digital cameras, cpu cooling, fans,[3] and computer peripherals.[5]
Subsidiaries
aigo has 27 subsidiaries[6] and several R&D facilities.[5] An incomplete list of aigo's subsidiaries can be found here.
aigo Music
Established in 1993 and located in Beijing,[7] aigo Music operates a digital music service much like iTunes.[8] The first of its kind in China, it is, as of 2009, the biggest portal for legal downloading of music in the country.[8] Strategic partnerships with Warner Music,[9] EMI and Sony[10] allow a wide range of music to be offered at 0.99 yuan per song.[9][10]
Beijing aifly Education and Technology Co Ltd
aigo set up this English as a second language brand with help from Crazy English founder Li Yang.[1][11]
Beijing aigo Digital Animation Institution
An aigo subsidiary that specializes in 3D animated films.[12]
Huaqi Information Technology (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Set up in October 2003,[13] it operates two official aigo outlet stores in Singapore.[14][15]
Shenzhen aigo R&D Co Ltd
Established in 2006, this Shenzhen-based research and development facility focuses on the development of mobile multimedia software.[16]
Sponsorships
aigo is a sponsor of a number of sporting events, the majority involving automobile racing.
Motorsport
aigo was an official partner of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One team.[17]
As of 2008, aigo sponsors Chinese driver "Frankie" Cheng Congfu, in A1GP racing.[1][18]
aigo was an official partner of the 2007 race of champions, a racing competition that uses a variety of different vehicles.[19]
Aigo was one of the sponsors of Dan Wheldon's 2011 Indianapolis 500 victory.
Manchester United
aigo, as of 2009, has a global strategic cooperation effort with Manchester United.[20]
References
- ^ a b c d Go Aigo The Economist, Jul 31st 2008
- ^ "Contact Us Archived 2013-08-12 at the Wayback Machine." aigo. Retrieved on July 25, 2013. "aigo Digital Technology Co., Ltd. Add: 10-11th Floor, Ideal Plaza, No.58, West Road, North 4th Ring Road, Beijing, 100080, China" Chinese address Archived 2013-09-24 at the Wayback Machine: "北京市北四环西路58号理想国际大厦11层"
- ^ a b Brief Introduction to aigo Archived 2009-07-13 at the Wayback Machine aigo Official Site
- ^ China's new cultural revolution money.cnn.com, May 17, 2007: 5:53 AM EDT
- ^ a b Brief Introduction to aigo Archived 2009-07-13 at the Wayback Machine aigo Official Site
- ^ INTERVIEW-China's Aigo to focus on digital camera market; ops reach breakeven quamnet,com, 05 Sep 2008, Xinhua Newsfeed
- ^ Contact Archived 2009-05-03 at the Wayback Machine aigo Music Official Site
- ^ a b About Us Archived 2009-05-05 at the Wayback Machine aigo Music Official Site
- ^ a b Will Digital Music in China Overthrow the Traditional Music Publishing Business? May 10, 2006 in Knowledge@Wharton
- ^ a b Watch Out Apple, Huaqi Launching Music Download Site[permanent dead link] jlmpacificepoch.com, Sep 30, 2005
- ^ MP3 Maker To Teach "Crazy" English [permanent dead link]
- ^ Work team[permanent dead link] aigo Digital Animation Institution Official Site
- ^ About Us Archived 2009-06-11 at the Wayback Machine aigo Singapore Official Site
- ^ aigo unveils second flagship store in Singapore Archived 2009-02-26 at the Wayback Machine aigo Singapore Official Site
- ^ Shop Locations Archived 2009-09-22 at the Wayback Machine aigo Singapore Official Site
- ^ Launch of Mobile Digital TV Product Supporting China CMMB Standard Solomon Systech Official Site
- ^ McLaren-Mercedes dominated the British Grand Prix Archived 2009-02-02 at the Wayback Machine aigo Official Site
- ^ News Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine A1GP driver Cheng Congfu's Official's site
- ^ aigo, the leading brand for MP3 / MP4 players and digital cameras in China becomes official partner to The Race of Champions Press Releases, Official Race of Champions Site
- ^ aigo and Manchester United Open a New Era of International Cooperation Archived 2009-07-10 at the Wayback Machine aigo Official Site
