Google creates 'optimized' Android for one smartphone — that will only be sold in India
(2021/06/25)
- Reference: 1624597268
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/06/25/google_jiophone_next/
- Source link:
Google has revealed that it has created an “optimised” version of Android designed specifically for one phone — a device to be launched in September by Indian carrier Jio. But the ads giant has not said what the new phone means for its other efforts to create a version of Android tailored to deployment in hardware at prices accessible for people in developing nations.
“Our teams have optimised a version of our Android OS especially for this device” [1]wrote Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, adding that the device “will open up new possibilities for millions of new users who will experience the internet for the very first time”.
Another [2]Google post and Jio’s statement on the matter state that the device will include the Play Store, multi-lingual Google Assistant, over-the-air updates, and an AI-infused camera. Jio’s own apps will be integrated with the Google Assistant.
[3]
The few photos released show the new phone has a conventional “black mirror and rounded rectangles” design.
[4]
[5]
Neither company has revealed the price of the device, beyond saying it will be sold “at an affordable price”.
[6]Indian mega-carrier Jio to build pair of 200-terabit submarine cables
[7]Indian mega-carrier Jio to build pair of 200-terabit submarine cables
[8]Indian telcos giving away services as customers fear going outside to top up their accounts
[9]Indian telco that won Google and Facebook investments flatly denies it’s diversified into farming
Google already offers a cut-down version of Android called “ [10]Android Go ” and pitches it as suitable for lower-specced-and-priced hardware, especially in developing nations. In 2014 Google also [11]launched Android One with the intent of making sub-$100 smartphones sing. Android One has since migrated onto pricier hardware, but retains its friendliness by offering easy security updates - something makers of cheapies often ignore.
Just how Android Go and One differ from whatever “optimised” Android runs in a JioPhone Next has not been revealed.
One obvious difference is that Android Go and One are offered to all comers — Whatever Google has cooked up for Jio will be Jio’s alone.
[12]
The Register cannot recall Google creating a version of Android for a single carrier before, never mind a single handset.
Jio’s story may explain why Google has made the effort. The carrier launched in 2016 and has only ever offered 4G services and voice over LTE. That approach quickly won it over 400 million subscribers, making it the most popular mobile carrier in India.
Selling its own hardware with voice and data bundles was an important part of Jio’s success. The carrier currently sells the candy bar “JioPhone” feature phone for around $25, and the $40 “JioPhone 2” that resembles a Blackberry circa 2005 and can run some apps, but doesn’t offer a touch screen.
[13]
If the device is to deliver on Pichai’s promise of being compelling for first-time internet users, it will need to be offered at close to those prices. Or perhaps Pichai was saying that Jio’s current hardware doesn’t really represent a full internet experience.
Either way, Google seems to be betting that this new device will bring many millions of new users into its orbit. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://india.googleblog.com/2021/06/a-new-android-smartphone-and-5g.html
[2] https://india.googleblog.com/2021/06/partnering-with-jio-to-help-bring.html
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/18/jio_submarine_cables/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/18/jio_submarine_cables/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/17/india_mobile_carrier_covid_giveaways/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/05/jio_infocomm_farming_denial/
[10] https://www.android.com/intl/en_au/versions/go-edition/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2014/06/26/google_promises_android_wrist_car_living_room_and_beyond/?page=2
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
“Our teams have optimised a version of our Android OS especially for this device” [1]wrote Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, adding that the device “will open up new possibilities for millions of new users who will experience the internet for the very first time”.
Another [2]Google post and Jio’s statement on the matter state that the device will include the Play Store, multi-lingual Google Assistant, over-the-air updates, and an AI-infused camera. Jio’s own apps will be integrated with the Google Assistant.
[3]
The few photos released show the new phone has a conventional “black mirror and rounded rectangles” design.
[4]
[5]
Neither company has revealed the price of the device, beyond saying it will be sold “at an affordable price”.
[6]Indian mega-carrier Jio to build pair of 200-terabit submarine cables
[7]Indian mega-carrier Jio to build pair of 200-terabit submarine cables
[8]Indian telcos giving away services as customers fear going outside to top up their accounts
[9]Indian telco that won Google and Facebook investments flatly denies it’s diversified into farming
Google already offers a cut-down version of Android called “ [10]Android Go ” and pitches it as suitable for lower-specced-and-priced hardware, especially in developing nations. In 2014 Google also [11]launched Android One with the intent of making sub-$100 smartphones sing. Android One has since migrated onto pricier hardware, but retains its friendliness by offering easy security updates - something makers of cheapies often ignore.
Just how Android Go and One differ from whatever “optimised” Android runs in a JioPhone Next has not been revealed.
One obvious difference is that Android Go and One are offered to all comers — Whatever Google has cooked up for Jio will be Jio’s alone.
[12]
The Register cannot recall Google creating a version of Android for a single carrier before, never mind a single handset.
Jio’s story may explain why Google has made the effort. The carrier launched in 2016 and has only ever offered 4G services and voice over LTE. That approach quickly won it over 400 million subscribers, making it the most popular mobile carrier in India.
Selling its own hardware with voice and data bundles was an important part of Jio’s success. The carrier currently sells the candy bar “JioPhone” feature phone for around $25, and the $40 “JioPhone 2” that resembles a Blackberry circa 2005 and can run some apps, but doesn’t offer a touch screen.
[13]
If the device is to deliver on Pichai’s promise of being compelling for first-time internet users, it will need to be offered at close to those prices. Or perhaps Pichai was saying that Jio’s current hardware doesn’t really represent a full internet experience.
Either way, Google seems to be betting that this new device will bring many millions of new users into its orbit. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://india.googleblog.com/2021/06/a-new-android-smartphone-and-5g.html
[2] https://india.googleblog.com/2021/06/partnering-with-jio-to-help-bring.html
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/18/jio_submarine_cables/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/18/jio_submarine_cables/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/17/india_mobile_carrier_covid_giveaways/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/05/jio_infocomm_farming_denial/
[10] https://www.android.com/intl/en_au/versions/go-edition/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2014/06/26/google_promises_android_wrist_car_living_room_and_beyond/?page=2
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YNWpO0CZn1CXGKMeV@yjNAAAABM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Android Go and One are not the same
doublelayer
Android One is probably not what they're trying to say. Android One is a program to simplify the software layers above Android so the devices are closer to stock and get updates for a little longer. They probably are talking about Android Go, which is designed for low-spec devices by chopping stuff out until it runs again. An [1]article covering this device on GSM Arena confirms that this device as shown runs some of the apps from Android Go.
On other topics, who thinks the corrections system should be made a web form authenticated by our user accounts rather than a mailto? I'm sure there are users who don't want to send mail from the computer they're reading on, but all of us can use that method.
[1] https://www.gsmarena.com/reliance_announces_jiophone_next_in_partnership_with_google-news-49734.php
Re: Android Go and One are not the same
Dinanziame
There are probably a lot of people trying to report a correction who drop out because of the mailto. But then, I assume a form would attract a lot of spam as well... Maybe with a CAPTCHA?
Re: Android Go and One are not the same
tiggity
I never email a correction - web form would get used
RyokuMas
"Either way, Google seems to be betting that this new device will bring many millions of new users data into its orbit ad delivery profiling systems."
TFTFY
"an affordable price"
Pascal Monett
In other words, the marketing department is still trying to find out just how hard they can gouge their new customers and still make bank.
What sort of data limits are those users operating under?