Qualcomm Technologies has announced support for the Android Oreo (Go edition) which was unveiled by Google yesterday. The company also said that the light-weight Android OS can be expected on devices running Snapdragon mobile platforms in early 2018. Qualcomm further added that their mid and low-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms will be ready to be use by device manufacturers soon after the latest version of Android (in this case Android 8.1 Oreo) is released to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
Nancy Fares, VP of product management at Qualcomm Technologies Inc said, “We are excited to implement Android Oreo (Go edition) within the Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platform family as it will enable consumers around the world to experience a more robust operating system for lower cost smartphones,” Fares further said, “Android Oreo (Go edition) delivers an optimised Android user experience key for emerging regions where lower bill of materials costs are especially attractive, as well as in established regions for pre-paid and lifeline uses.”
Google’s Android Oreo (Go edition) comes with light-weight apps and data saving features especially designed for low-end phones with RAM as low as 512MB to 1GB. It comes with a rebuilt set of Google apps along with a redesigned Google Play which allows users to download and use more apps on a low spec smartphone. Android Oreo (Go edition) is not a fork of Android. It’s a variant which OEMs can enable by just ticking off a configuration flag. Google says that the Go Edition of Android will be updated alongside each Android version, such as Android P (Go edition), Android Q (Go edition) and so forth. You can read more about it here.
“Entry-level devices are the gateway to the internet for many people, and we want to make sure everyone has a great experience when they use these devices,” said Sameer Samat, vice president of product management, Android and Google Play. “We’re excited that Android Oreo (Go edition) will significantly improve storage, performance, data management, and security.”
Alongside the revamped Android Oreo (Go edition), Google also announced its digital assistant for the JioPhone. Google Assistant is specifically tailored for the JioPhone and will replace the existing Voice app. The smart assistant will also recognise Hindi voice commands. You can read more about the Android Oreo (Go Edition) here and about the Google Assistant on JioPhone here.