Google's Android One Initiative Launches In India With Three $100 Phones

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Google's Android One Initiative Launches In India With Three $100 Phones

Posted by samzenpus on Monday September 15, 2014 @02:17AM from the cheap-at-twice-the-price dept.

An anonymous reader writes Google has unveiled its first set of Android One low-cost smartphones in the Indian market, partnering with Indian hardware vendors Spice, Micromax and Karbonn. The three phones will be available online on Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal and via Reliance Digital, Croma and The Mobile Store, offline. The phones provide a minimum set of features determined by Google, which has sourced several of the components to help cut manufacturing costs. The company has also teamed up with a local network to make it cheaper to download Android updates and new apps.

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Three phones by Rodot · 2014-09-15 02:21 · Score: 5, Funny

Three phones will hardly be enough.
1. Re:Three phones by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 02:48 · Score: 0
  
  Talk about your sharing economy!
2. Re:Three phones by Thanshin · 2014-09-15 02:55 · Score: 1
  
  And there was hardly need to sell each of the three phones in a different online AND offline store.
3. Re:Three phones by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 03:54 · Score: 0
  
  Just wait 'til next year when they can claim sales are up over 1000%!.
4. Re:Three phones by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 08:31 · Score: 0
  
  India specific Android One features a deodorant spray container that the user can disinfect his/her excrements on the streets of India.
  Seriously, maybe these Indians should focus on sanitation, pollution, water, electricity..rather than spend their meager funds on mobile phones, space program, weapons...most of which the intellectual properties/profits ships straight out of India anyways.
$100 by Thanshin · 2014-09-15 02:22 · Score: 2

What percentage of smartphone owners currently use one that would cost 100$ to buy new?
Is a 2014 cheap phone better than a 2012 good one? For how long?
1. Re:$100 by mlts · 2014-09-15 02:57 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  There is a point where phones are "good enough". If it can run basic apps (usual popular ones, and a large game or two), for a lot of people, why buy something else?
  For example, my HTC One X Plus and my HTC One M8 both have NFC, decent CPUs. The biggest difference is the M8 has a MicroSD card slot that can go up to 128 gigs, but if I had to go back to the HOX, it is doable.
  The mobile industry is running into the same issue that the PC industry has about a decade ago -- what is out is good enough for most tasks, so why bother running the upgrade treadmill?
  A $100 phone would still be a decent unit. Not with all the bells and whistles, but still fine for daily use by a lot of people.
2. Re:$100 by Threni · 2014-09-15 03:02 · Score: 1
  
  We're not there yet; some people are going to pay Â£600+ for the iPhone 6 rather than Â£150 for the Moto G2. Many people are still on small, silly screens and could do with a larger one now they've got their head around the idea of having a smart phone. They all could do with 2 or 3 gigs of ram instead of 1 or less.
  Those $100 phones are designed for india; they're not going to gain any traction outside of there because it's just cutting 2 or 3 corners too many, but certainly I can see Â£150 being a sweet spot where people who don't want quad core/a huge screen/battery don't pass.
3. Re:$100 by Pieroxy · 2014-09-15 03:54 · Score: 2
  
  I just bought €50 phones for my kids. Android 4.4. There are plenty around where I am, so I don't really know what the fuss is all about.
  
  --
  Write boring code, not shiny code!
4. Re:$100 by kamapuaa · 2014-09-15 04:33 · Score: 1
  
  They exist, but they typically have 1 gig ram memory, 4-8 gigs internal storage, a crappy camera. The screen is lower-resolution, the external speaker is on the weak side. Build quality and reliability is a bit lower.
  They're perfectly usable, and for a kid they're fine (although kids do load up on apps, which might be a problem with a cheaper phone).
  The point was that they're phones you're going to want to upgrade before too long. Whereas a computer is fine for 5 or more years, unless you're a gamer.
  
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5. Re:$100 by symbolset · 2014-09-15 05:15 · Score: 1
  
  Except for storage these phones are on par with the 2012 champ SGS III. With millions more apps, better hardware video support, better battery life and India specific features like dual Sim, FM radio they should do well.
  
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6. Re:$100 by Khashishi · 2014-09-15 05:17 · Score: 1
  
  Everybody's definition of "good enough" is different.
7. Re:$100 by occasional_dabbler · 2014-09-15 07:49 · Score: 1
  
  You can pick up a Nokia 520 for less than that. It may not be as pretty as the high end stuff but it runs the latest winphone, for all its benefits and/or drawbacks and has a 128GB compatible SD slot.
  
  --
  "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs," I said. "we have a protractor"
8. Re:$100 by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 09:10 · Score: 0
  
  I just bought a Moto G 1st gen, and it's perfect hardware-wise. Dual SIM, LTE, dual camera, 720p on a reasonably sized 4.5" screen. Quad core processor, 1GB RAM and an FM radio.
  Honestly, who needs more now? Want to game? Get a Gameboy. Want a tablet? Get a Nexus 7.
  Frankly, it's the last phone I'll buy for a decade if software would still be packaged for it.
  By the way, all this was for $200. Take off the 4G and it's $180 on Amazon. I suppose these Indian phones will skimp on the processor and the screen a bit, as well.
  But please, PLEASE world, don't stop making sanely-sized phones. 5"+ is not an option for me.
9. Re:$100 by stephanruby · 2014-09-15 09:53 · Score: 1
  
  I just bought €50 phones for my kids. Android 4.4. There are plenty around where I am, so I don't really know what the fuss is all about.
  It doesn't count if people have to pay €1 per minute to call your kids' phones. Ultimately, someone is paying for the hardware.
10. Re:$100 by Pieroxy · 2014-09-15 21:34 · Score: 1
  
  This is a no-contract phone, no strings attached. I subscribed to a contract after having bought the phone.
  
  --
  Write boring code, not shiny code!
$100 phones by symbolset · 2014-09-15 02:31 · Score: 1

Google and their hardware partners are doing a lot to bring the benefit of technology to more people than have had it before.

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Help stamp out iliturcy.
1. Re:$100 phones by Thanshin · 2014-09-15 03:00 · Score: 1
  
  Google and their hardware partners are doing a lot to bring the benefit of technology to more people than have had it before.
  Well... Yes. All technology corporations try their best to bring technology to more people than before.
  The opposite would be, thievery. Or, if instead of "less technology" you go for the "less people" route, murder.
2. Re:$100 phones by c · 2014-09-15 04:29 · Score: 1
  
  Well... Yes. All technology corporations try their best to bring technology to more people than before.
  I couldd swear that Microsoft has been trying hard at the exact opposite...
  
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  Log in or piss off.
3. Re:$100 phones by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 05:55 · Score: 0
  
  By contrast, Mozilla's $35 phones are doing nothing at all to help anyone in India, because they're not Google.
4. Re:$100 phones by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 10:10 · Score: 0
  
  Yes, but the drawback with Mozilla's phones is that they will keep and report very detailed records of every private activity conducted by their user.
  No, wait ...
Firefox OS is now totally irrelevant. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 02:45 · Score: 0

This pretty much renders Firefox OS irrelevant, more so than it already was.
Why would anyone, aside from maybe a very small number of fringe "openness" idealists, ever consider Firefox OS if a real Android phone can be obtained for about the same price?
I don't know what Mozilla is going to do now. This kills any viability that Firefox OS may have had. Firefox on the desktop is still losing marketshare. None of their other products are gaining much traction. They get almost all of their funding from Google. Mozilla is in a tough spot, for sure. I can't see them surviving, as an organization, in the long term.
1. Re:Firefox OS is now totally irrelevant. by narcc · 2014-09-15 04:45 · Score: 1
  
  Why would anyone, aside from maybe a very small number of fringe "openness" idealists, ever consider Firefox OS if a real Android phone can be obtained for about the same price?
  $100 is not about the same as $33. This is particularly true in India, where the average annual income is around $1,500.
  
  --
  Required reading for internet skeptics
"One"? Seriously? by Wootery · 2014-09-15 02:51 · Score: 1

Even after the 'Xbox One' disaster, they're going with One?
Did they forget that Android is already versioned using incrementing numbers, and that they're now way beyond 1?
I guess they'll loosen Microsoft's hold on the "One" name, but really, this is just stupid.
1. Re:"One"? Seriously? by Threni · 2014-09-15 03:04 · Score: 1
  
  Do you think the number one is unlucky, or something?
  Android's version numbers are for developer use only; everyone else uses the name, just like they do with Windows.
  Microsoft doesn't have a hold on the "one" name, because next to nobody has heard of the "xbox one" outside of the gaming/tech community, whereas nearly everyone has - or knows someone who has - an Android phone.
2. Re:"One"? Seriously? by Thanshin · 2014-09-15 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, but you can't have a main character named "Otw", or "Ethre".
  You'd have to go all the way up to 10 to get a decent name, and by then you'd be infringing Tolkien's IP.
3. Re:"One"? Seriously? by Chrisq · 2014-09-15 03:09 · Score: 1
  
  Do you think the number one is unlucky, or something?
  One does ... oh wait!
4. Re:"One"? Seriously? by Lab+Rat+Jason · 2014-09-15 05:24 · Score: 1
  
  http://youtu.be/Sme4BaANIxg
  
  --
  Which has more power: the hammer, or the anvil?
Non-solution by fulldecent · 2014-09-15 02:57 · Score: 0

Google has found the solution for people that can't afford data plans, or expensive smartphones with too many cameras and big screens and contributing to e-waste:
Data plans, expensive smartphones with too many cameras and big screens contributing to e-waste! And tiered network access!
That's right, just like the aftermath of the financial crisis, Google has found another solution that is identical to the problem!
-----------------------
Of course the better solution is: eBay.
iPhone 2g is available for $50 shipped. Androids and shittier phones are cheaper.
Reduced e-waste, lower price, can still "connect with family through a live video chat", "use mapping apps to find the closest hospital" and "simply search the web".

--
-- I was raised on the command line, bitch
Where's the tech support joke? by damn_registrars · 2014-09-15 03:04 · Score: 1

There should be a Dell tech support joke attached to this somehow... how long would it take for a Dell support tech to pay for a $100 phone at the rate Dell pays?

--
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
Interestingly by kilodelta · 2014-09-15 03:08 · Score: 1

The phone I carry is running Android Jelly Bean. Retailed for $49.
1. Re:Interestingly by davek · 2014-09-15 04:19 · Score: 1
  
  The phone I carry is running Android Jelly Bean. Retailed for $49.
  No kidding. A $100 phone would be an upgrade to me.
  Side note: India is NOT POOR. Don't believe what you see in the media. At my last job, my Indian counterparts made enough to support a wife, multiple kids, car & apartment on one developer's income. Can't do that in this country, even with an engineer's salary.
  
  --
  6th Street Radio @ddombrowsky
2. Re: Interestingly by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 04:27 · Score: 0
  
  Many are... There for tend to be a range....
3. Re:Interestingly by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 05:06 · Score: 0
  
  I assume by "this country" you mean the USA.
  I make about $35,000 a year (obviously not an engineer), I have a wife (doesn't work outside the home) and 4 kids, 2 vehicles paid for, and I own my own 5 bedroom house (will be paid off in 5 more years).
  I don't understand you rich guys who can't pay for stuff. Do you live in like Connecticut or Seattle or something? Why would anybody live in an expensive place in the Internet age?
Launch here please by iamacat · 2014-09-15 03:12 · Score: 1

SF Bay Area, the birthplace of smartphones, badly needs dual sim phones. There are coverage gaps even with AT&T/Verizon, right alone highway 101 and major tech companies. Having a second prepaid sim would be a godsend for actually being able to call people when you need to. Especially if you want T-mobile unlimited plan rather than paying $1K phone bill because of a bug in one of your apps.
1. Re:Launch here please by narcc · 2014-09-15 05:38 · Score: 1
  
  SF Bay Area, the birthplace of smartphones,
  What?
  
  --
  Required reading for internet skeptics
2. Re:Launch here please by iamacat · 2014-09-15 15:23 · Score: 1
  
  J2ME? Palm/WebOS? iPhone? Android?
Three phones by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 03:13 · Score: 0

Three phones will hardly be enough.
Would have been enough for the Windows phones...
It's not just about the hardware by feranick · 2014-09-15 03:23 · Score: 1

Many of the 2 year old "good phones" run 2 year old Android. As good as the hardware is, the software matters too. Android One is after that, by providing good enough hardware on current software.
Wonder if they'll use ART out of the box? by daboochmeister · 2014-09-15 04:03 · Score: 1

To compensate for the low specs. Though, to be honest, 1GB RAM and any of the recent quad MetiaTek 1.3GHz processors, it won't be too bad - as long as the other components don't bottleneck it.

--
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1. Re:Wonder if they'll use ART out of the box? by symbolset · 2014-09-15 05:20 · Score: 1
  
  Compare to the SGS3. http://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_...
  
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  Help stamp out iliturcy.
Lumia 5 series by Frankie70 · 2014-09-15 04:19 · Score: 2

Solidly built phones. Doesn't look cheap. No lag. Good camera. Good Battery life. Costs around 110-120$ depending on the model.
Why don't they just... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 05:07 · Score: 0

Why don't they just uninstall the feature that slows down perfectly good Android phones after two years and send our discarded phones over there?
Cheap is definitely better by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 05:54 · Score: 0

IMHO this kind of stuff would slay in America. The reason I have a smartphone is:
1) always have a camera with me, instead of just having one when I consciously prepare
2) be able to surf the web while idling, e.g. waiting for pick up or bored at an empty bar.
Do that, and you have most use cases covered. I don't use most of my $500 phone's capabilities. It's not that I don't like 'em, but I would quickly "trade down" for a $100 phone if I could actually get that $400 back into my pocket (which I can't in hindsight, but not-spending it again: HELL YES!).
1. Re: Cheap is definitely better by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 13:46 · Score: 0
  
  I've been looking at the Galaxy Light. It's screen resolution is low, but I'd primarily use it for music. 8 gb internal storage and accepts microSD cards. $120.
  Android 4+ should be fine as most apps on my tablet only require 2.3.
Will it support Whatsapp ? by maitas · 2014-09-15 06:07 · Score: 1

Will it support Whatsapp ?
android one by google by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 18:52 · Score: 0

Three phones will hardly be enough.
After announcing it first back at I/O 2014, Google today finally launched the first Android One devices in India. read more... sumitwords.blogspot.in
Google Android One Smartphones by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-15 20:51 · Score: 0

Karbonn Sparkle V, Micromax Canvas A1, and Spice Dream UNO come with almost same specifications. I liked the Micromax one the most. It seems the best one in the look. All phones are available online on different sites. I am gonna buy one as soon as arrives in retail stores. Stay tuned
http://www.youthstep.com/technology/google-android-one-smartphones/1419.html