KaiOS Gets Google Funding; JioPhone Will Be Empowered With New Features Now!
This is a major boost to the JioPhone ecosystem.
Google has invested $22 million in KaiOS Technologies, who operates and develops KaiOS operating system. It’s the same OS which powers India’s best-selling feature phone Jio Phone and a few other smart feature phones like the recently launched Nokia 8110 4G and more.
Google’s investment in the KaiOS Technologies is a part of the ‘Next Billion Users’ programme. With the partnership, Google will now put in a bunch of Android apps in the KaiOS system. From now on, KaiOS users will have Google Assistant, Google Maps, YouTube, and Google Search on board.
JioPhone & KaiOS
Reliance Jio disrupted the feature phone market last year when it launched its 4G feature smartphone at an effective price of Rs 0. Around 40 million KaiOS KaiOS Technologies developed phones have been shipped so far, and Reliance Jio has played a major role in it.
The KaiOS Technologies powered Jio Phones have done extremely well in the feature phone segment in India. Jio Phone is also the currently the top-selling feature phone in the country.
The Jio Phones running KaiOS software has also surpassed the Apple iOS in market share in the country.
Why Google Invested in KaiOS?
Google has its own massive Android ecosystem, and also the company recently launched Android Go to support lower-end smartphones as well. The Google investment in KaiOS Technologies seems very strategic, and Google is now trying to dominate in the feature phone segment as well.
The KaiOS system is said to be a failed Mozilla Firefox OS experiment. The software is web-based and operates on HTML5, Javascript and CSS for apps.
With the partnership between KaiOS Technologies and Google, the search giant will now get its Android apps running on the KaiOS powered phones. Strategically Google is making sure that smart feature phones can run the latest Google’s services the same way the other low-end Android smartphones do.
DevicesDevi reach extremely low price points where Android can’t reach, and KaiOS Technologies will help Google to reach out to such segments.
JioPhone To Get Google Maps, YouTube & Google Assistant
The smart feature phones running the KaiOS software will be soon getting some major updates. With limited memory and processing power, the smartphones are built in a way so that it can utilize all its capabilities to offer maximum performance.
The KaiOS software is now present over a dozen of smartphones from companies like Nokia, TCL, Micromax and more. The KaiOS Technologies powered Jio Phone has been phenomenal in India which currently is the leading feature phone in the market running 4G data and VoLTE services.
The recent investment of Google in KaiOS Technologies has opened the gates for a bunch of Google apps on the KaiOS running devices. The most-sold KaiOS device, the Jio Phone will also get the much-wamuch- Google Assistant, Google Maps, YouTube and Google Search very soon.
The Reliance Jio Phone is available in the market for a security deposit of Rs 1,500, refundable after 3 years. The smartphone comes at an effective price of Rs 0 with Qualcomm 205 platform, 512MB of RAM, KaiOS Technologies built software, 4GB of expandable storage, 2.4 inch display, and a 2000mAh battery.
GODDAMN Google! Why do THEY have to get a piece of this pie? I thought Reliance had already bought a stake in them, can’t they prevent Google from buying a stake?
In any case those apps are already THERE on JioPhone – Assistant is there, and you can see Youtube, and I’m sure search, on the browser – but it’s very painful, it’s true, as there’s no keyboard or mouse and no touchscreen.
When are they gonna release Jio Media Cable? THAT’S what we want!!