First Android One smartphones launched in India, will let you download YouTube videos

[Himanshu Arora]

Google has unveiled its first set of Android One-powered smartphones in India, where local companies like Micromax, Spice, and Karbonn will be selling the budget-priced devices.

The new phones -- the Micromax Canvas A1, Spice Dream Uno, and Karbonn Sparkle V -- are expected to retail for around $105 with a minimum set of features determined by the search giant. These include a 4.5 inch (11.4cm) display, a quadcore Mediatek processor, 1GB of RAM, 5-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front cameras, and the ability to run the next version of Android.

In addition, the devices also feature a replaceable battery, a micro-SD slot, a built-in FM radio, and dual SIM support.

On the software side, the devices will ship with a customized version of the YouTube app that'll allow you to store videos when you are on WiFi, so that you can watch them later. The smartphones will ship with support for more languages, and feature 13 new local publications in Google Play Newsstand.

The Mountain View, California-based company has also partnered with various network operators to provide special data packages. For example, Android One users on Airtel, one of India's most popular networks, will be able to download updates as well as 200 MB worth of apps per month from Google Play at no cost for the first six months.

If you're unaware, Android One is a reference program that allows smartphone manufacturers to make devices based on low-cost hardware designs put together by Google. One of the major advantages of Android One devices is that they will get software updates directly from Google, without the help of the handset manufacturers, allowing the company to improve the user experience and fix issues quicker.

While Flipkart and Snapdeal will be exclusively selling Android One devices from Spice and Karbonn, respectively, Amazon's Indian arm will sell devices from Micromax. The smartphones will be available in physical stores from next month.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/58065-first-android-one-smartphones-launched-in-india-will-let-you-download-youtube-videos.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

It doesn't sound like a bad deal at all to lure the financially handicapped away from old feature phones.
I like the fact that Google sends out updates and not the manufacturer which is one of Androids biggest downfalls, hopefully it will be addressed sometime in the future for all Android phones.
I wonder if Apple follow suit someday or is it beneath them to have the less fortunate use their devices.
On a positive note they are changing, they just copied Samsungs' idea of phablets although they'll vehemently deny it lest we forget they're not lowly idea thieves, they're innovators.

 

[captaincranky]

It doesn't sound like a bad deal at all to lure the financially handicapped away from old feature phones.

Although getting, "financially handicapped people", hooked on smart phone contracts, seems kind of lacking in the ethics and moral departments.

Or slightly dramatized, "we know you don't have much in the way of disposable income, so we're going to allow you to give us all of it, in order to enable you to acquire one of our, "smart phones" (*).

(*) Euphemistically speaking, what "money pit" means to the housing subtext, "smart phone" is the telecommunications industry's equivalent.

 

[noel24]

Lenovo and probably few other Chinese manufacturers already makes phones like this at this pricepoint. And YT caching through browser addons isn't new either. It looks more like marketing campaign for developing world rather then a genuine attempt to bring progress to the masses.