Android One: Important developments around Google's big launch today

Google is set to unveil Android One smartphones in India today. Android One is Google's one of the most ambitious projects as the Internet giant aims to deliver high end smartphone experience on low-cost devices. Google's foray into entry-level smartphone segment is big, and set to change the course of the smartphone market in India, and perhaps in other emerging markets as well. But, before Google officially launches Android One, here are a few important developments around the new platform you must know:

Android One on Indian smartphone brands

As you are already aware, Google has teamed up with several Indian smartphone players such as Micromax, Spice and Karbonn to offer Android One phones. The Indian smartphone brands are mainly known for their low-cost and budget smartphones. Though these local brands have made a lot of efforts to remove that 'cheap Chinese imports' tag, a lot of people have been sceptical about their products for this reason.

Will that notion change with Android One? Most likely. Google is likely to have tighter control on hardware and software for the new platform. This is likely to result in better smartphone and Android experience on the low-cost smartphones.

As far as the specifications go, the Android One smartphones are likely to offer decent specs for their price. Spice's Android One Dream made a brief appearance on Flipkart before the official announcement. According to the listing, the smartphone features MediaTek quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB built-in storage, microSD support, 4.5-inch display, 5MP rear and 2MP front cameras and dual-SIM connectivity.

Android One: E-commerce battle

It will not only be the smartphone players who will be battling it out with the new Android One phones, but e-commerce companies as well. Of late, we've seen companies including the likes of Xiaomi, Motorola and Samsung going online exclusive. The online-exclusive model has turned out to be a huge success, and has helped drive e-commerce growth in the country.

Interestingly, e-commerce giants Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal are eyeing Google's much-awaited  Android One phones. While Flipkart and Snapdeal will be selling Android One smartphones from Spice and Karbonn respectively, Amazon will be selling Micromax Android One handsets exclusively. These e-commerce websites have already started teasing the new phones on the social networking websites.

Competition from Firefox...and Microsoft

While Firefox OS-based handsets have already made their way to the Indian market, Microsoft is reportedly planning to compete with Google's Android One with its own range of low-cost phones.

"We're just beginning a refresh of the entire portfolio," Economic Times quotes Chris Weber, vice president of mobile device sales at Microsoft, as saying. "We aim to push the price point of Windows phones significantly lower - we certainly see that happening on the Android ecosystem - without impacting quality and experience."

It's notable that Nokia, now acquired by Microsoft, had made a big come back with its Asha line up, which mainly targeted the budget smartphone users. Nokia had a huge base in the feature phone segment as well, . Microsoft is likely to continue targeting these segments with its own low-cost smartphones.

As far as the Firefox phones go, the OS didn't quite impress critics, though it showed promise. Most importantly, the Firefox phones are targeting the ultra low-cost segment, which is Rs. 2,000- 3,000 whereas the Android One phones are likely to be priced around Rs. 5.000-7,000.  With a mix of better hardware and software, the Firefox phones can give a good competition to Android One.