Reuters
Google Inc launched in India yesterday a $105 smartphone, the first device from its “Android One” initiative which is aimed at boosting sales in key emerging markets through cheaper prices and better quality software.
The Mountain View-Based company tied up with Indian handset makers Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles to launch the Rs6,399 phone, which is powered by Google’s operating system and targets the booming low-cost segment of the world’s fastest growing smartphone market.
After launching in India, Google said it plans to expand Android One to Indonesia, Philippines and other South Asian countries by the end of 2014 and in more countries in 2015.
The company is working with partners including Acer, HTC Corp and Panasonic to build more devices under Android One, Sundar Pichai, who heads Google’s Android and Chrome units, told reporters at the India launch event in New Delhi.
“When (handset companies) look to make a phone, they will get a menu. They can put together a device in a much quicker fashion, knowing we’ve already tested the software,” he added.
With Android One, Google aims to improve the quality of hardware and software by giving handset makers a frame of reference. Strong sales of Android One smartphones should mean more Internet access, and more usage of Google’s suite of products.
Currently, many cheap smartphones in India and other emerging markets run different and somewhat customised versions of the Android operating system. The many variations they produce make the phones prone to glitches, and leave Google with almost no control over its platform.
Pichai said eventual software upgrades on the Android One phones would come directly from Google. This gives the company better control of the operating system and ensures users get a consistent service.
“After China and the US, India is the third largest smartphone market in the world and Google won’t like to leave such a huge market in control of brands looking to use a custom-forked Android OS as is happening in China,” said Neil Shah, research director for devices and ecosystems at Hong Kong-based technology research agency Counterpoint Research.
India is an attractive market for companies that make low-cost smartphones because more people are now able to afford a smartphone, often for the first time.
Just 10% of the India’s population currently owns a smartphone, brokerage Nomura said in a recent research note, and that figure is likely to double over the next four years.
There are at least 80 smartphone brands in India and analysts say the Android One phones must offer customers more than just affordability if Google wants to compete with Samsung Electronics, Motorola and China’s Xiaomi, which all make similarly priced devices. “The initial pricing never sticks but it’ll be tough for them to compete if they don’t come down further,” said Counterpoint’s Shah.
Customising web content to suit Indian customers is a priority for Google, country head Rajan Anandan told Reuters last month. The new Android One phones can be used in seven Indian languages, including Hindi.
YouTube to go offline on Android phones
YouTube users in India will soon be able to save videos from the Google-owned service, making it possible to watch them offline, and the feature will eventually be available globally, the company said yesterday. The feature will be available through the YouTube app on Google’s new $105-Android One smartphones unveiled in New Delhi yesterday.
“YouTube will be available offline soon, starting with India,” Google India communications manager Gaurav Bhaskar told AFP. Smartphones using Google’s Android operating system are used by more than one billion people globally and the new Android One phone is part of the company’s drive to reach out to billions more.
The company said the YouTube save service will be available soon but gave no date. It did not give any indication when it would be extended to other parts of the world. The new YouTube save feature will be “a great benefit for when there is a slow connection or re-watching videos without using up the data plan”, said Bhaskar. Google has tied up with local Indian handset makers Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles to make Android One Smartphones that will start at $105.
