Google on Monday launched the first smartphones powered by its Android One operating system, pricing them at around Rs 6,399 to capture the low-cost segement of the world's fastest growing smartphone market.
Google launched the phones in partnership with Indian mobile phone makers Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles.
The internet giant is likely to ditch the traditional retail channel, in line with the latest trend.
Its hardware partners will initially push the products through e-commerce portals. Spice has already announced a partnership with Flipkart last week. Micromax and Karbonn are expected to tie up with Snapdeal and Amazon.
These devices are meant to give Google a tighter control over the system, so that users get a better Android experience. Google gives its mobile operating system, Android, for free to manufacturers, which can customise it for the sake of differentiation. But, this has made the Android ecosystem highly fragmented. Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook recently called it a toxic hellstew of vulnerabilities.
Google during the launch said it plans to expand Android One to Indonesia, Phillippines and other South Asian countries by the end of 2014 and in more countries in 2015.
src:sify.com