Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) just introduced Android One at Google I/O event, a new unified platform that would bring smartphones to new markets.
The search giant’s senior vice president Sundar Pichai mentioned the growing prevalence of smartphones in countries like India as well as other markets. He added that less than 10 percent of users in undeveloped nations own smartphones. He went on to explain that part of the problem is that many smartphones are too expensive. He elaborated if you looked at OEMs in those countries, each one would have to reinvent the wheel and develop a smartphone in nine months.
What Google wants with Android One
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) hopes Android One will cut the costs of smartphone development by identifying the building components which are built into smartphones as well as pre-qualify suppliers to ensure everything works together.
It is evident Google wants to go where no other smartphone maker has gone before. The search giant really hopes to revolutionize the market by making smartphones available to everyone. Indeed, this is a smart move as it will place Google-based phones into the hands of people who never used a smartphone before. It could also give Google a more global edge against main rival Apple.
Google to unveil Lollipo, Android TV, and Google Fit
At Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s I/O event, fans can expect the tech leader to unveil Lollipop operating system, new activity tracking platform Google Fit, and Android TV. Lollipop will be the latest mobile operating system upgrade named after a sweet treat. It is speculated to offer better support for 64-bit processors and offer more features for Google Now. Google Fit and Android wearable devices are another strong possibility as general interest in smartwatches increased in the past few months. Android TV would be a complete entertainment platform that would be optimized for the television set rather than computer.
2014 is shaping up to be quite a year for Google.
