Android One is good for the smartphone ecosystem

On September 15, Google unveiled its Android One programme for high-quality affordable smartphones in India. It partnered with three of the hottest Indian smartphone vendors - Micromax, Spice and Karbonn - which offered three devices that were technically identical in terms of hardware and software. They just had differing designs. The takeaway was that the phones did not offer something ground-breaking to the Indian consumer as there are already better devices in the market at the price points Android One is targeting.

Android and Chrome chief Sundar Pichai

As Sundar Pichai, Google's czar for Android, Chrome and apps, pointed out, these phones were just the first in the line of many. The three phones - the Micromax Canvas A1, the Karbonn Sparkle V and the Spice Dream UNO - are based on the "turnkey" solution that Google is providing its partners.

Now, one can argue that the turnkey solution will result in limited differentiation, but the great bit about it is an assured level of quality, which frankly is missing at the low-end, especially with Indian brands.

Google's involvement means that the smartphone vendors have to up their game in terms of build quality and after sale services. While Google says it is not providing any marketing support, there is no doubt the Android One brand lends these devices a level of credibility that local brands could not have mustered up. This is obviously a good thing for local Indian smartphone brands.

In time, hardware differentiation will also happen as Google has added a number of new brands to the Android One programme. Some of the Indian brands that have joined the Android One bandwagon are Intex, Xolo and Lava.

Ceaser Sengupta, Pichai's right-hand man, who led the Android One programme, said that there will multiple form factors which will include five-inch screens, bigger batteries and what not. Google is currently offering a "menu" of sorts for components to its partners and it can "pick and choose" and build a device based on them.

Google has also added Qualcomm as a hardware partner. So, one can imagine in the future there will be more sophisticated devices based on its chipsets.

On the software side of things, Google is pushing its own "Stock Android" interface that it offers on its Nexus smartphones. Now people say that Indian users don't care about stock Android. Well, yes, but then again they don't know the benefits of "Stock Android" are, especially on devices that are not very powerful.

It is responsive, smooth to use and, on the phones I have been testing so far, it is lag free. It is also quite beautiful, aesthetically speaking, much better than the custom interfaces that the brands create for the sake of differentiation.

The bigger deal is that Google will be responsible for the software and the updates. Rarely a sub Rs 7,000 phone gets software updates in India and even if the update happens, normally it is a convoluted process where one has to make an unpleasant trip to the service centre.

With Android One, Google will push out the latest versions of Android for at least two years and these will be over the air updates. For the updates, Airtel users will be able to download each system update for free and for the first six months will get 200 MB free per month for downloading apps from the Google Play store.

The importance of software updates cannot be underestimated. People should realise we live in a world where majority of the feature additions happen in the form of software or an OS update. The hardware is only a facilitator for the software, so there's no point in a product which has the hardware, but gets no software update.

Later in the year, the three Android One phones will also get the update to Android L. This will add a new user interface and many new features like a new battery saver, support for 64-bit applications, and a faster runtime environment called ART.

Additionally, there will be a feature that will allow Chrome OS users to parse information from their Android phone and access messages and calls and even apps. Mind you, Apple has added a similar feature in its mobile and desktop operating systems, which frankly are way more expensive.

Google is also making YouTube offline for usage in India and it is bringing its Newsstand to India which will have digital magazines from many publications in India.

Yes, there are phones with better specs, like superior cameras, screens and processors, but hardly any of these phones have the latest and greatest software capabilities of these new Android One devices. Currently, only around 25 per cent of the phones in the market utilise the latest version of Android, which is KitKat, Android One has a chance to change this.

Even analysts believe this. "Google Android One is going to be a game changer in India. Their goal is to reach next five billion people in emerging markets and a billion in India," said Sanchit Gogia, chief analyst and CEO of Greyhound Research. "This gives them an edge as compared to Microsoft, Apple and Blackberry. Android One gives Google tighter control over the Google OS which means standardised UX. Support for seven regional languages is going to be a solid plus over competitors - this will not only help consumers use vernacular, it's also likely to help promote apps in regional language."

Android One will bring Google's software experience to the masses, something, which has not happened despite the incredible popularity of the platform.

Tech pundits universally agree when they say Google's interface in combination with its cloud services deliver the best mobile experience in the market. Apple's iPhones are too expensive and Microsoft's Windows Phone has a jarring interface, which does not work well with Google's cloud applications.

With the Nexus programme, Google has struggled to offer flagship class hardware. To reach its price Google always ends up cutting corners, but Android One by definition is built for the masses and cutting edge specifications are not expected.

At the end of the day, a great user experience is what matters and Google should be able to provide that to the masses with Android One with a combination of its own software and its curated set of components and turnkey solutions.

It will be easier for newer brands as they will have a reference design to start with and for the users too as they will get good hardware and the latest software for less than Rs 10,000.

It's also worth noting that Google is taking these devices to the masses. It has not only partnered with online retailers for the devices, but by Diwali, these phones will be available in more than 200,000 brick and mortar stores across India and it has an army of Android evangelists which it calls Android One ambassadors who will educate prospective customers about the products.

Android One devices may not have the best hardware on paper, but with Google backing it, these products will offer a great user experience, which will be available to the masses.