(Mirror Daily, United States) – Google launched a lighter version of its popular Android operating system Tuesday in India. The Android Oreo Go is designed to power the cheaper Android smartphones about to hit the Indian market.
The new OS runs on a memory of 512 megabytes which makes it ideal for low-end devices. Google promised to roll out the devices powered by the new software in the coming months.
India currently has 1.2 billion wireless subscribers making the market the world’s second largest after China. However, slightly over 30 percent of those subscribers own a smartphone even though the prices of the devices have decreased exponentially in recent years.
India is currently being flooded with cheaper handsets from China. Yet, U.S. phone makers such as Apple and Google seek to remain competitive and come up with their cheaper versions of the devices.
The New Android OS Could Entice More Indians to Buy Smartphones
Google hopes the recently-unveiled OS to convince more Indians to buy smartphones, whose prices now range from $30 to $73. Google will, therefore, be able to promote other products and services like the mobile payment app Tez, which it unveiled in September.
The new OS will also be compatible with a lighter version of the Google Play app which has been also designed to function on cheaper handsets.
It is not the first time, Google tries to enter the Indian market with tailored goods and services. In recent years, it has introduced Indians to its WhatsApp messaging service and been competing against Facebook in providing India with free wireless access.
India currently has 400 million Internet users. Mobile data usage, however, skyrocketed after local carrier Reliance Jio entered the market. Jio’s offers are so competitive that rivals had to slash prices to survive. Jio subscribers can no download 1 Gb of data daily for just $3 per month.
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