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Google To Launch Next Gen Android One On July 14

The first gen of Android One devices to be launched in India in September 2014 were decent starter smartphones, featuring budget specs and a promise of fast updates. However, the phones did not pick up as big a response as Google hoped.

Now, as per a report by The Economic Times, it appears that Google is rethinking their strategy towards Android One in India. The first gen Android One devices focused on first time smartphone users, but were flawed in their distribution and marketing as they were available only via the 3 major online retailers of India at the time: Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal. Comparing this with the fact that 68% of the Indian population lives in rural areas where electricity is a privilege, one can see why an online-only marketing strategy would flop for a starter smartphone.

The next gen of Android One in India will fix this one flaw that the first version had. The report states that focus for Android One has shifted from first-time smartphone users towards more accustomed users, thereby indicating a shift in the basic strategy of the Android One plan.

The latest Android One smartphone will be made by Lava International, which is a known name in the budget segment in India, and will be launched in New Delhi on 14th July 2015 for a price tag of Rs. 12,000 ($190), which is triple the current selling price of the first gen (Rs. 3,999; $65). Regarding specs, the device will reportedly feature a Mediatek chipset, 2GB RAM and a 5″ display and other specs to let it remain relevant for a longer period of time in the Indian market. The smartphone will also be positioned as an affordable Nexus, with focus on frequent software and security updates. However, the report states that “Google has made some significant changes to the operating system and has deeply collaborated with Lava to modify the platform as per the product specifications for latter’s smartphones“.

On the back end, the next gen Android One smartphone has been developed in collaboration on hardware and software with Lava as well as Mediatek, which is in contrast the first gen Android One smartphones which were taken from ODM’s in China. The new smartphone will also follow an online and offline sales model, thereby increasing its product reach in the Indian market. Google is also expected to spend around $10 million-15 million on marketing and promotion this time around.

We can’t wait to see what’s in store from the second generation if indeed they are marketed as the affordable Nexus, especially seeing that the smartphones will be powered by Mediatek processors. Along with the upcoming release of the Moto G 3rd generation, the Rs. 12K ($200) market segment is surely going to heat up.

What are your thoughts on the new Android One smartphone? Do you think it can become a true Nexus replacement? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Read on for related coverage:

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IonVR: The Future of Virtual Reality

IonVR is the newest and arguably one of the most exciting VR solutions in the works today. The IonVR mobile virtual reality headset will be released later this year, but the company is already accepting pre-orders on its website. Head inside for more details on why this may just be the future of virtual reality.

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John Legere Responds to Outburst, Teases Announcement

In light of Sprint’s CEO taking to Twitter to speak out against T-Mobile CEO John Legere, the latter held a Periscope session earlier today, in which he went on to dismiss the rant, revealed that something big and fantastic was coming to T-Mobile next week, and that Apple Music is coming to Music Freedom soon.

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Droid Turbo Lollipop OTA, 2015 Moto G Leaked – XDA TV

Android Lollipop for the Droid Turbo has been released. That and much more news is covered by Jordan when he reviews all the important stories from this week. Included in this week’s news is the announcement of the 2015 edition of the Moto G and be sure to check out the article talking about Android Lollipop for the Huawei Ascend Mate 2. That’s not all that’s covered in today’s video!

Jordan talks about the other videos released this week on XDA TV. XDA TV Producer TK released an Xposed Tuesday video covering Smart Network. Then Jordan reviewed the NVidia Shield TV. Also, TK gave us an app review of Rovers. Pull up a chair and check out this video.

Be sure to check out other great XDA TV Videos

Check out Jordan’s YouTube Channel and Jordan’s Gaming YouTube Channel

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OnePlus Cardboard Goes on Sale at No Cost, $5 Shipping

After announcing that the OnePlus 2 launch will be streamed in VR, with free OnePlus Cardboard units being given out, the website has finally started showing a “Get It” button. The listing is only live in certain countries, and states that units begin shipping on July 10th with shipping costs coming out to $5.

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Microsoft Drops Lawsuit Against Kyocera

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Earlier this year, a patent infringement lawsuit between Kyocera and Microsoft was brought before the US District Court, and in a unexpected move today, the lawsuit between the two companies was resolved as they went on to sign a patent cross-licensing agreement for a broader range of each other’s technology.

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EVLeaks Shows Off Possible BlackBerry Android Phone

It wasn’t too long ago that we received reports of BlackBerry planning to use Android in their upcoming devices, although it wasn’t confirmed how this would be implemented. The Canadian company has publicly announced that they ‘remain committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system‘, touting its strengths in security and productivity. Now, thanks to Evan Blass at EVLeaks, we have our first look at what one of these upcoming phones could look like.

The picture itself shows the bottom half of a design reminiscent of 2014’s Passport, with sharp corners and very straight lines throughout. Lollipop-style navigational buttons adorn the screen alongside some additional controls, making use of the screen’s uncommon aspect ratio. A physical keyboard is of course present, again with a style which to my eyes is almost identical to the current BlackBerry Passport. Unfortunately, this is where the inconsistencies start to make themselves apparent.

The display on the render doesn’t quite match the space designed for it, seemingly sitting on top of where it would be on the Passport. Shown clearly in the picture is the second page of an Android keyboard layout, containing currency, mathematical and other symbols as normal, but still containing the ‘ABC’ button presumably linking back to a QWERTY layout, pointless when those keys are placed physically below. Additionally, the style of the keyboard seems to be that of the Ice Cream Sandwich-era Holo keyboards, contrasting hugely with the Navigation buttons. Those issues along with the uncanny similarity with the Passport’s industrial design just don’t ring quite true for us.

Perhaps these are just early rendering issues, or perhaps BlackBerry is simply experimenting with early builds of Android software on existing hardware; XDA members have certainly achieved success in that department. There may well, in fact, be a market for this kind of hybrid device too, as there are vocal members of the Android community that plug the benefits of a physical keyboard, and there are still BlackBerry fans out there. This might not be the leak we’ve been waiting for, but it’s adding momentum and publicity to BlackBerry, and that’s something that they desperately need.

What do you think of this render’s legitimacy?

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