Spanish device start-up Geeksphone said it will “not undertake new projects”, stating that it is “very difficult for a company to maintain its viability and business” while maintaining its core philosophy.

The company said that it has “always worked for its users, trying to listen to their needs, in order to bring innovation, freshness, quality, style and to differentiate their mobile devices”.

“Our perception is that it is now a sector with great actors who have come to be where they are without much concern for innovation and without being concerned by the needs of its users”, Rodrigo Silva-Ramos, co-founder, said.

Geeksphone launched in 2009, and said it was the first Spanish company to develop a smartphone, the first European company to launch an Android based phone and the first global brand to launch a Firefox OS mobile device together with Telefonica and the Mozilla Foundation.

It was also a partner in the venture which created the security-oriented Blackphone at launch.

There are still some activities ongoing related to the Geeksphone project.

The company has made available “to the entire community of users all the tools we are legally able to spread, for further development”, noting that it has “licensing agreements with third parties who may not be made public”.

Its customer technical support services will also be maintained, in compliance with the warranty commitments made to users.

In addition, “all of the engineering talent” has moved to Blackphone, now under the guidance of Silent Circle, “in order to continue opening new avenues for innovation”.

And Silva-Ramos with Angel Sanchez Diaz have created geeks!me, a new brand focused on wearables which will launch its first product in the coming months – an activity bracelet that will “allow users to carry a healthier pace of life, in harmony with the environment”.