Google Planning A $50 (Rs. 2,700) Android Smartphone, Says Eric Schmidt
At the Guardian’s Big Tent Activate India event, Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt said that the day is not far when an Android smartphone will be available at a price point of $50 (Rs 2,700 approximately).
At a meeting with journalists here on Wednesday during his visit to India, Schmidt declined to reveal any further details on the stage of developing such a basic smartphone model, although he admitted that Google was always encouraging phone makers to produce cheaper sets with web-browsing features so that mobile-based internet penetration gets a further fillip.
Schmidt is in New Delhi to speak at The Guardian’s Big Tent Activate India event scheduled on March 21 in New Delhi.
Schmidt, who has previously worked with Novell and Sun Microsystems, said that Android will be a major player in the mobile phone market.
“Android is going to be the majority player in the market. It supports a lot of devices and is a great platform,” he added.
He further said, “The past 10 years show that the safest economic, social and political bet is on openness. Where there is a free and open Web, where there is unbridled technological progress, where information can be disseminated and consumed freely, society flourishes.”
On the most successful CEOs, Schmidt said that Apple founder Steve Jobs is the most impressive person.
“Steve is the most impressive CEO. He was a complicated person but he had a vision to change the world,” he added.
For a successful business leader, he said one needs to see the future before anyone else does it.
“Entrepreneurs are born, they cannot be created. You cannot be trained, it has to come from within,” Schmidt said.
On Google’s success, he said, “We focus on hiring the smartest people and I would advise you to look for the smartest people around and convince them to join your company.”