Logitech has announced the acquisition of Mirial, a Milan-based provider of personal and mobile video conferencing solutions. The company stated that Mirial will be integrated into its LifeSize division, which is a provider of high definition (HD) video communication solutions.

Mirial’s products are expected to be immediately available via LifeSize and will be integrated into future LifeSize products and services. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

With the acquisition of Mirial, Logitech’s LifeSize division will now be able to offer a more comprehensive selection of universal video collaboration solutions, ranging from conference room endpoints and infrastructure through to desktop, tablet and mobile video calling software.

Mirial supports a broad range of iOS-operating mobile devices such as Apple’s iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS as well as the iPad 2. It also boasts support for the latest Android-powered smartphones and tablets including the HTC Desire and Sensation, Google Nexus S, Samsung’s Galaxy S as well as the Motorola Atrix and Xoom.

According to Logitech, companies are increasingly expecting their business-class video conferencing solutions to work on both tablets and smartphones. Shipments of tablets into the enterprise is expected to reach north of 49 million in 2015, according to Frost & Sullivan, meaning that support for video collaboration on these devices has become a key customer requirement.

“The advent of mobile devices has created a new anytime, anywhere office environment – burdening businesses with a fresh set of communications needs and challenges,” said Gerald P. Quindlen, Logitech president and chief executive officer.

“Acquiring Mirial makes Logitech uniquely positioned to address these needs by equipping businesses with a complete HD video conferencing solution spanning the mobile device to the desktop to the conference room. This acquisition is a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to make video communication as ubiquitous as voice-only calls are today.”

 

In related news, Universal Electronics (UEI) recently filed a lawsuit against Logitech over seventeen patents dealing with remote control technology, following a failure in license renewal negotiations with the company.