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Qualcomm backs Android Oreo

Admire Moyo
By Admire Moyo, ITWeb's news editor.
Hawaii, 07 Dec 2017
Android Oreo (Go edition) ships with a rebuilt set of Google's most popular apps.
Android Oreo (Go edition) ships with a rebuilt set of Google's most popular apps.

Qualcomm Technologies has announced support for Android Oreo (Go edition), an optimised experience for smartphones supporting 1GB or less of memory.

This was confirmed at the ongoing Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit, currently taking place in Maui, Hawaii.

Qualcomm is working with Google to enable the next wave of low-end smartphones with a focus on speed and reliability.

The Android Oreo (Go edition) is the new name for Android Go, which was announced at Google I/O earlier this year. The software is designed for lower-end devices.

It offers an improved user experience by optimising the Android operating system and applications to run more efficiently on devices with less storage, and RAM.

Google says this allows greater consumer flexibility as mobile users in emerging regions such as India, Southeast Asia and Africa gain access to a wider variety of Android smartphones with a more modern operating system.

Mid- and low-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms will be ready to be used by device manufacturers shortly after the latest version of Android (in this case, Android 8.1 Oreo) is released to the Android Open Source Project.

"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," said Nancy Fares, VP of product management, Qualcomm Technologies.

"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 prepaid and lifeline uses."

Android Oreo (Go edition) ships with a rebuilt set of Google's most popular apps that were designed to address local needs, plus a tuned version of Google Play that allows users to download any app, but also highlights apps designed to work best on smartphones with 1GB or less of memory.

In addition, Android Oreo (Go edition) includes features to control and monitor data usage, plus the same security improvements that Google launched with Android Oreo. When paired with a Snapdragon mobile platform, consumers will benefit from new experiences not seen before from smartphones in this range.

"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, VP of product management, Android and Google Play. "We're excited that Android Oreo (Go edition) will significantly improve storage, performance, data management and security."

Android Oreo (Go edition) is expected to be available running on devices based on Snapdragon mobile platforms in early 2018.

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