Foxconn pumps money into Cyanogen – is there a link to Nokia?

In between messing up its partnership with OnePlus, or making statements about how it is “putting a bullet through Google’s head,” Cyanogen does find some time to look for more investors. Back in March the company, which is led by Steve Kondik and Kirt McMaster, announced its series C funding from investors like Twitter, Qualcomm and Rupert Murdoch. Today the company announced more investor money, this time from Foxconn.

The series C funding is Cyanogen’s third injection of cash from outside investors. The money is generally given on the basis that the company has started to prove itself and that its business plan is sound.

What isn’t so well appreciated is that Foxconn has its own smartphone brand.

The new “strategic investment” from Foxconn brings to a close Cyanogen’s series C funding. There is no current announcement about any possible series D funding. As it said when it announced the previous series C funding, the company will use the money to “accelerate talent hiring and the development of its open OS platform.”

If you haven’t heard of Foxconn, you will have surely heard of some of the products it manufactures: iPad, iPhone, Kindle, PlayStation, Xbox and so on! The keyword here is manufacture. Foxconn is a Taiwanese contract manufacturer that assembles products for the likes of Apple, Blackberry and Microsoft.

What isn’t so well appreciated is that Foxconn has its own smartphone brand. Next to all those iPhones that are rolling off the assembly lines, there are Android smartphones sold under Foxconn’s InFocus brand.

Could there be a possible link between any future phones that Foxconn makes and the use of Cyanogen? Also, Foxconn is in the rebadging game. It designs and builds devices for third party companies who then just stick their own badges on the units. A prime example of this is the Nokia N1. Although it carries the Nokia name it is actually all Foxconn’s work. If Nokia was ever to get back into the smartphone market it could very well use the same method. A Foxconn designed phone with a Nokia badge… and maybe running Cyanogen!

What do you think? Would you buy a Foxconn built Nokia smartphone running Cyanogen OS?