Android One was one of the farthest-reaching goals of Google I/O all those months ago. And the best part about its launch and actual devices involved is that they are great and it actually panned out. The last thing we all needed, especially Google, was another project that was hidden away and secretly let die. Android One, though, looks to be an increasingly global effort and project from Mountain View’s king of search.
Android One, for any looking for a quick refresher, is Google project title for their effort to bring affordable hardware and great Google software (Android) to users in areas where smartphones either haven’t really become as popular as many nations across Europe and North America. India is the first target for the Android One program, and the first three devices, one each from Spice, Karbonn, and Micromax, signal the turning of a page and the placement of pen to paper for the history and progress of One. The three devices start pricing at around 6,400 Indian Rupees, which is about $105 USD.
The best part: more companies plan to enter the Android One space with hopes to bring affordable hardware to the people that might need it, especially with the global trending towards an online-first interaction system. The hardware manufacturers Karbonn and Spice, as well as Indian company Intex are looking forward and are preparing for a second wave of Android One devices which, according to Economic Times in New Delhi, could begin seeing storefront and store shelves as early as December of this year.
Spice and Karbonn are to be expected, since they participated in the first phase, the initial launch, but Intex looks to go about One slightly different. Sanjay Kalirona, the Head of Mobile Business at Intex, said that “Intex will offer customers an enhanced experience, something unique in terms of design, pricing and functionality” with their first Android One device, though a release date or possible schedule was not disclosed, leaving us with only the hope of something interesting for round two of Android One. We have heard that January may hold the launch of Intex’s device, but we shall see. The price might sit as low as 6,000 Indian Rupees, and possibly go all the way up to 10,000 Indian Rupees ($99 to $165 USD, for reference). Do you plan on getting one of the devices that are part of the Android One program? If you don’t, do you think the One program is a good move, especially the planned expansion into other countries like the Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka that will hopefully happen in the next six months? Let us know.