Mobile cos line up Google’s Android phone launches

With the top cellphone vendors such as HTC, Samsung, LG and Motorola, the Google’s smartphone operating system (OS) Android is going to enter India shortly.

Adding, the focus of the Android phones is the urban youth users and places in the mid to high-end segment range. In the coming month, Samsung will be releasing its first device, christened Galaxy and the HTC has started shipping the first Android phone to India.

Sources said that in the month of December, the Android phones from LG and Motorola’s stable are expected to hit the market. With such releases at varying price-points, Google anticipates rapid take on of the Android platform in India.

In the Android platform, about 47 companies are working and worldwide by the month of December around 15-20 Android handsets will be released. The company anticipates that a few of these models will be shipped to India, said Vinay Goel, Google India director (products).

From the initial Android handset, HTC has got favorable reaction in India. Adding, Android is a growing platform and for HTC it will be one of the basis. In each quarter, the company launches 2-3 devices in India and few of them will be on this platform, said Ajay Sharma, HTC India country head. By the year end, the company will release a portfolio of touchscreen Android handsets, said Sunil Dutt, the head of Samsung Mobile in the country.

He added that the company will work with Google to make sure quicker adoption of the devices in India. Also, Android has the potential to appear as the next big mobile phone OS. Further, Samsung, HTC and LG are positive that Android will be proficient to compete against the two most admired smartphone OSSymbian and Windows Mobile.

Mr Goel said that the actually the patrons don’t care about the handset OS and they need exciting applications.

To focus the typical Indian market and make certain Android’s triumph, Google considers that the vendors must release some handsets in the price range of Rs 10,000-15, 000. The price of the handset can be reduced since it is an open source and there is no license fee.

Currently, in India, the HTC’s first Android phone is sold for about Rs 30,000 and Samsung has decided to release the Galaxy for a price of Rs 29,000.