Google today opened its I/O developer conference with Android One, an effort that will help bring its mobile OS to emerging markets like India.
Google will provide partners with hardware reference designs and stock Android software, allowing for automatic updates. Using Google Play, users and carriers can then add locally relevant apps to the devices.
During his I/O keynote, Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome, and Apps at Google, showed off a 4.5-inch Android device (pictured) with a dual-SIM, SD card, FM radio that would retail for less than $100.
Android One will launch with three providers in India this fall: Micromax, Karbonn, and Spice.
Ultimately, Google wants to bring high-quality, affordable smartphones to the next 1 million users, Pichai said.
Google is already working on a number of projects intended to help expand Internet access around the globe. There's Project Loon, which connects people via high-flying balloons. But the search giant also just purchased a satellite firm, Skybox, which Google said will be able to help improve Internet access and assist in disaster relief.
Google's I/O keynote, meanwhile, is still going on. Tune in live via the live stream.