Technology
Android One Hopes to Bring a $50 Smartphone to Market
(Reviewed) – The dream of bringing low-cost computers to developing markets isn’t new. In the 2000s, there was One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), and earlier this year, a company called Endless unveiled a $169 computer that runs a mobile OS. There are plenty of others trying to get in on this ripe, underconnected demographic, too: Google’s Project Loon, Elon Musk’s space-based internet initiative, and Facebook’s network of internet-beaming drones.
But the dream remains elusive. According to the United Nations, roughly 60 percent of the world still lacks internet access, and only about 15 percent of people own a computer.
However, a stunning 50 percent of adults worldwide own a smartphone, and that’s the market tech companies are eyeing for expansion. In fact, according to The Economist, smartphones are expected to be in the pockets of 80 percent of the global population by 2020.
