Google will uncover the first of its series of budget smartphones under the much anticipated Android One today. This initiative gives a key set of references for hardwares to help phone manufacturers make minimal cost smartphones. The phones will be unveiled by Sundar Pichai, Google’s SVP of Android, Chrome & Apps in New Delhi.
Google is expected to launch a range of Android One smartphones, mostly priced under Rs 6,000, via domestic online stores. These have been developed in partnership with local mobile phone manufacturers such as Micromax, Karbonn and Spice. These smartphones are expected to be loaded with top-end features such as dual core chip, 5 MP camera and 4.5-inch display.
Indian tech market has been ruled by budget friendly and value for money devices. The company first unveiled the Android one initiative in June this year at Google’s annual I/O conference as a move to take the platform to markets where low-priced phones with fewer features and less memory are in high demand.
By modifying the working framework, some programming and packaging it with Google’s own service, its web search tool, Android One will help scale up the business for Google.
Android One is tipped to be a game changer in the smartphone market, delivering a better experience to users. The race to make the least expensive smartphone pressed with specs is just going to get bigger as more companies are looking at the budget segment of the Indian market.
Wearables are in and here to stay. The biggest names in the tech world anticipate that the wearable technology will be the next step in mobile evolution. Now Indian phone company, Spice has decided to enter the field by bringing out the first Smartwatch in the affordable range.
The Smart Pulse comes with an assortment of accessories
You won’t believe the amount of stuff that comes with this smartwatch at its price. It seems like they filled the box with accessories till they could fit no more. You get a handsfree, a Bluetooth headset, two extra watch straps, charging cables for the watch and a Bluetooth headset.
Design
On the design front, the Smart Pulse reminds you of the Galaxy Gear Live. The fake metal body does succeed in hiding its real make. You might be impressed by the brushed metal finish until you realize that its just plastic.
User Interface (UI)
At first impression, the UI is visually appealing. The Smart Pulse has a dialer and messaging feature for sending SMS’s. The UI is a generic Chinese UI and so, unfortunately, cannot reap the benefits of the wearable specific apps that are being brought out on an everyday basis. It can though be connected to an Android phone through Bluetooth and can be used as a secondary device. Using this connect, you can make calls, send texts, enable remote camera capture, stream music and get notification alert for social applications.
The UI isn’t too tacky, and you might easily get used to it after some tries. It is capable of dispensing all that a wearable can do, except, of course, the health features. The device doesn’t have any heart rate sensors or monitors so it can’t be used for fitness purposes. The main complaint with the UI is the tiny typefaces. It can be grueling to use if you have bad eyesight.
Internals
The 420 mAh battery is too tiny to handle the features available with the watch
The Smart Pulse should be known as the Smartphonewatch, or Smartphwatch (or maybe something better.) It is powered by a 420 mAh battery. How this tiny battery will handle the dual SIM capability is a mystery. It also has other juice gulping features like Bluetooth and GPRS. The watch also has a camera with flash that might be used only when you desperately need to take a photo. The flash can be used as a torch, which is handy at times. The makers have also added a vibration motor which could be useful for notifications.
Dual Sim
Smart Pulse is Dual SIM and expandable storage capable
The most surprising part of the watch is its dual SIM slots. Not just that, it also capable of holding expandable storage upto 8GB. It is basically an independent phone masquerading as a watch.
Price
With all that phone features packed into a tiny watch, which also comes with tons of accessories, the Smart Pulse is modestly priced. The watch is available for just Rs. 4,000, which is a great price for someone who wants to get introduced to wearable technology. As it’s a standalone phone in itself it can be a flaunt-worthy gizmo for some, a little taste of the future if you may. There are in fact some Android based smartwatches being manufactured by Chinese manufacturers and you may want to look into that. But as those are not yet available in India, you can try this out till the time Moto 360 arrives in India.
If you’d like us to do a full review, leave a request in the comments below.
Indian phone makers Intex and Spice have decided to bring Mozilla’s Firefox OS to India. Intex calls its device the Cloud FX. The company said that the phone will be priced around Rs.2000 thereby bringing the smartphone experience to the last group of people untouched by it. Spice on the other hand has just given a July release timeframe and said its phone will be a dual Sim device.
The Cloud FX is powered by 1 Ghz processor and will have a 3.5 inch display. Mozilla had unveiled a similar $25 smartphone platform at the MWC this year which is said to be similar to the intex device.
Intex said the Cloud FX will have Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity. It has a 2 megapixel camera rear camera.
Firefox OS is a truly open source operating system. It is based on open source standards of HTML 5, JavaScript, etc. It will be competing against other open source platforms such as Ubuntu touch. It looks a lot like a scaled down version of the Android.
What sets the OS apart from Android as it is made for lower end devices. So it has minimum hardware requirement.
Some of the best features of the Firefox OS is that it is gestures controlled and has a fast developing market place. The market has already started to fill up with regularly used apps from around the world. Though many of the apps are internet only and most have not been conformed to screen sizes.
With major companies like Google and Facebook investing in initiatives to connect the massive unconnected population with internet, operating systems like these which facilitate cheaper devices will lead to more global interconnection.
If Intex plays it right and markets it well, it could bring a new form of smartphone revolution in the lower end phone segment thereby mobilizing bigger players to enter that arena.
