Letv, a major Internet and technology company in China, dreams big to “redefine” connected experiences across six screens: mobile devices, TV, tablet, computer, cinema, and eventually, Internet-linked electric cars.

Le Superphone, Letv’s first smartphone, is expected to be available in the US market at the end of this year; and an electric car is expected to be released in two to three years’ time.

The Le Superphone, which was unveiled in April this year, is “not only a smartphone, but also a whole mobile Internet ecosystem’’, said Mark Li, vice-president of Letv Holdings.

It is “redefining” the mobile experience for the connected age and offering consumers a better way to get the most out of their mobile devices, he said.

The company is confident that their smartphone will “aggressively” compete with others with its innovative design, “reasonable price” and service, which is “open, integrated, and social”.

Letv CEO Jia Yueting’s posted an open letter in English on his personal Weibo page on April 13, a day vefore the smartphone was launched in San Francisco, criticizing Apple Inc: “Apple’s story is the success of a closed system. Their ability to innovate is diminishing due to its closed nature. We have seen that millennials are no longer interested in using iPhones.”

Li agreed. “The CP2C (consumer-planning-to-consumer) model has the capability to self-grow, self-evolve, and self-innovate in Letv’s open, vertically integrated ecosystem,” he said.

“Ecosystem,” he explained, means a “next-generation Internet experience that is vertically-integrated to offer a connected platform comprised of content, devices and applications”.

To build and enhance the Letv ecosystem, an office was set up in Silicon Valley in April to integrate the innovation of Silicon Valley, the creativity and media of Los Angeles and the practical application and development of Beijing, said Li, who is also head of the Silicon Valley office.

“In the Chinese market, Letv’s strength is its content,” said Li. “Despite our success in China, the products have to be localized because the users’ experience and demands are different in the US.”

The Silicon Valley team, including R&D, sales and technical support staff, is focused on localizing the Letv ecosystem. The products and services must be redesigned so they can be better accepted among mainstream customers in the United States.

In addition to the smartphone, Letv will also introduce its smart TV, alongside its library of Chinese content to the US later this year, which includes more than 100,000 television episodes and 5,000 films.

Letv’s initial content will offer a new outlet of mainstream Chinese content for millions of Chinese-speaking Americans, Li said.

“As a global company with distinct Eastern cultural background, we are going to take a patient, modest and hardworking attitude in the US market, which is highly competitive and professionalized,” Li said.

Prior to opening the Silicon Valley office, another team had been set up for its Internet-linked smart car program, which has recruited more than 300 professionals in California.

Letv’s move into the auto market is its CEO Jia Yueting’s vision that cars should be electric, smart and connected. It is also driven by Internet-based customer experiences.

“The traditional auto manufacturers produce vehicles, while we offer a product, or a mobile smart terminal that will let car owners access Letv’s content and apps,” said Tianxin Nie, senior vice-president of the company’s Super Electric Ecosystem (SEE) project.

The electric car will feature multiple touch screens that replace traditional consoles and dashboards, providing people-oriented services and realizing a “seamless” integration between the vehicle and the user.

However, a car equipped with electronic devices, like touch screens, cannot be regarded as an Internet-based smart car in the real sense, said Nie.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com