Lenovo buys enigmatic startup

PC vendor bags consumer technology specialist Switchbox Labs and appoints former Microsoft man to executive role

PC vendor Lenovo has bought mysterious Seattle-based startup Switchbox Labs for an undisclosed amount and has appointed co-founder Michael Sievert as a senior vice president.

Switchbox focuses on developing consumer technologies although both companies remain tight-lipped on what projects are in development. Lenovo indicated the technology will be integrated into its products and Switchbox co-founders Michael Sievert, Robert Dickinson and Blake Ramsdell have all joined the Chinese vendor.

Sievert was previously corporate vice president of Windows product marketing for Microsoft and has also held executive positions with AT&T and online share-trading specialist E*Trade. At Microsoft he was chiefly responsible for the rollout of Windows Vista and in his new role he will report directly to William Amelio, Lenovo's chief executive.

Amelio claimed Sievert was a welcome addition to his company. "Innovation is the lifeblood of our company, and despite the current challenges in the worldwide economy and PC industry, we are committed to investing in strategies and technologies that will help deliver exceptionally engineered products and services to our customers," he said. "Switchbox Labs is doing some interesting work and we are pleased that Switchbox and Mike are joining Lenovo."