USB Flash Drive Inventor Dov Moran unveils Comigo Smart TV Startup in Israel

written by: Richard Kastelein

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Published on Monday, 19 March 2012 08:04

Israeli entrepreneur Dov Moran, the inventor of the USB flash drive and founder & CEO of m-systems (acquired by SanDisk for $1.6B), unveiled his new start-up, a smart TV venture called Comigo Ltd. The company is developing a set-top box that uses Google's Android operating system to control a TV, tablet, and smartphone. The device makes it possible to watch video-on-demand (VOD), internet broadcasts, such as YouTube, and movies and pictures stored in a home computer.

According Israeli business magazine Globes:

Comigo's application, WatchApp, lets viewers communicate. For example, during a football game, it is possible to throw a tomato from one viewer's screen and be seen on a second viewer's screen. Viewers can intervene against each other, or against the world, and even buy items directly from the screen. The information stream can display the pictures of friends watching the same show, and a list of the most popular shows at that moment.

The way Comigo's device connects Apple or Android-powered devices is very interesting. It is possible to stream information to tablets or smartphones, in order to start watching a show on TV and continue watching it on a tablet or smartphone somewhere else. It is possible to invite friends to view the same content, or use Comigo's application to stream music to the phones of friends somewhere else.

Moran says that he founded Comigo immediately after liquidating his previous venture, Modu, which developed mobile phones.

Comigo has 30 employees, most of whom previously worked for Modu. Moran is Comigo's main backer.

"At first, we wanted to link the telephone to the television, but we discovered that the television cannot be connected to the telephone. That's how this idea was born," says Moran. "I am sure that this business is on the verge of success. We're talking about a product with a global market, which will also come to Israel."