The funding was led by Highway 12 Ventures and UV Partners, along with angel investors, and private investor Oaas-Laney. The funds will be used to bring new products to market, and to hire new employees.
The Nampa, Idaho-based company was founded by Jeffrey Moeser, the former CTO of memory chip maker Micron Technology Inc. Dedicated Devices is aiming to change the future of home entertainment by linking music, video, pictures and other digital information into an all-in-one box.
Although the box has not yet been publicly unveiled, it is said to involve a massive hard-drive where cable, internet and other wiring converge in new homes. It is envisaged that the 120GB device will serve up music, film, television shows and family photos to any room in the house. It should also oversee the home alarm system.
According to Dedicated Devices, the major advantage is that its device will be easier to use and more robust than a personal computer. No price has been given, although the company said it will be in the thousands of dollars, making it more expensive than most computers.
With the increasing number of digital devices that consumers own today, there’s a huge market for connecting multiple consumer electronics, PCs and peripherals in the home, said Mark Solon, managing partner at Highway 12 Ventures.
