Android One vs Android Silver vs Google Nexus: What is the difference?

At Google's June I/O keynote Sundar Pichai introduced Android One, an affordable smartphone solution that will help Google extend Android's reach into new markets, allowing it to connect the next billion users. But Google already has an affordable Nexus line, and rumours are heating up over Android Silver, so what exactly is the difference between Google's three smartphone lines? Also see:

What is Android One?

Android One is a list of competitive specifications that will allow any OEM to build at low cost affordable smartphones with up-to-date hardware. These devices will run stock Android and receive updates direct from Google, although vendors can add their own apps if they choose.
In removing part of the hardware research and software development Google hopes to encourage smartphone (and therefore Android) uptake in new markets. Android One will launch first in India - a product launch is planned for 15 September - and Google has already teamed up with Karbonn, Spice and Micromax to build affordable Android One handsets.
Pichai spoke of a device from Micromax with a 4.5in screen, dual-SIM slots, an FM radio and SD card support. That phone cost less than $100 to make.
Android One in essence sets a minimum standard for the very cheapest Android devices, ensuring that Google's software is able to run the way it expects it to, and importantly with full access to Google Play.
Apple has long been applauded for its skill in controlling both the hardware and software of its products, and it seems Google has finally taken note. If it wants to create the best experience for consumers then both the hardware and the software must be up to scratch.

What is Android Silver?

Before we talk about Android Silver it's worth noting that Google has not officially confirmed its existence, and that all we know about Android Silver is based on rumours and speculation. Also see: Android Silver: Nexus devices could be history
Whereas Android One is a set of minimum specifications for the cheapest Android devices, Android Silver is thought to be a set of specifications that the very best Android devices must adhere to in order to get Google's stamp of approval.
The great number of smartphones on the market means choosing a device can be difficult for less tech-savvy consumers. By controlling both the hardware and the software Google will be able to, like Apple, ensure that all devices are up to scratch. With Android One and Android Silver Google could simplify the situation further, helping you choose a great phone whatever your budget.
As with Android One devices, we expect Google will roll out Android updates to approved Silver devices. Android One and Android Silver together should help Google address criticism over Android fragmentation, with only 20.9 percent of users running KitKat as of 12 August (13.6 percent are still running Gingerbread!).
We don't know what Google will demand of manufacturers producing Android Silver devices, although we expect to see at least a full-HD screen, a quad-core processor and 16GB of storage.

What is Google Nexus?

Google Nexus is the product line we know most about, with its Nexus 7 - now a year old - still the best small-screen tablet you can buy, and its Nexus 5 smartphone is still at number four in our list of the 37 best smartphones of 2014. Even the Nexus 10 is an amazing device, although it's been out of stock at Google Play for some time now.
Google Nexus devices are subsidised by Google to encourage uptake of the Android operating system and media sales through its Google Play content store. In purchasing a Nexus device you are able to get a premium device at a mid-range price. Plus, Google guarantees that all new operating system updates will be automatically rolled out to its Nexus devices - no other phone or tablet manufacturer is willing to offer this lifetime guarantee for its products.
Many have speculated that Android One and Android Silver spell the end for Google Nexus. We disagree. Google will this autumn launch its biggest ever mobile OS update in Android L, and it needs a stunning new device to be the vehicle on which to showcase it.
And while it might not update the already very good Nexus 7, rumours about a new Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 8 tablet are spreading like wildfire.

Source: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/google-android/3533490/android-one-vs-android-silver-vs-google-nexus/

Google Android One Affordable Phones With Regular Updates Headed to India First

Sundar Pichai, Google's SVP for Android, Chrome and Apps, made some very interesting announcements at the I/O 2014 Keynote on Wednesday, of which perhaps the most exciting was the revelation of the Android One platform and its partners in emerging markets. The program will kick-off in India, with three partners - Micromax, Karbonn, and Spice, starting this 'fall'.
In an effort to help its OEM partners, who are forced to release a new smartphone every 9 months to stay ahead in the intensely competitive market, Google is releasing a new Android hardware and software reference platforms. This will help save OEMs money and time in design, choosing the right components and pushing their smartphones to the market.

It will also help Google and its partners push updates to Android devices, with optimised stock Android experiences being replaced by new ones. With OEMs using the Android One platform, Google will also be able to ensure a minimum set of standards for smartphones.
The Android One initiative works with smartphone makers and others in the "ecosystem" to pool resources and standardize hardware platforms to provide "turnkey solutions" for making handsets, elaborated Pichai.
Pichai had added that while Android One will be launched around the world, it will be launched "in India first in the fall of this year."

peaking more about the Android One software experience, Pichai also spoke about 'Play Auto-installs', which would push a list of recommended apps to Android One users.

The Android One platform is Google's attempt to reach the 'next 5 billion users' who don't currently own a smartphone. Pichai elaborated that in emerging countries, less than 10 percent own smartphones.

Pichai announced Google's first three Android One partners, all from India - Micromax, Karbonn, and Spice. A Micromax Android One smartphone was also showcased on stage, featuring what Pichai called vital features for emerging markets - dual-SIM, a microSD card slot, and FM radio. The Micromax Android One smartphone was also revealed to feature a 4.5-inch display, and cost less than $100 (Rs. 6,000 roughly).

Google's Pichai also said he'd been using a Micromax Android One smartphone for a while now, and was really impressed, despite being used to top-end phones for daily use.

Source:http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/google-io-2014-micromax-karbonn-and-spice-named-android-one-partners-547966

The Android One could gut the market for high-end Android phones

Compared to the glitz and fanfare surrounding Apple’s announcement Tuesday of the iPhone 6 and the long-awaited Apple Watch, next week’s expected debut in India of Google’s Android One smartphones should be a more modest affair. It certainly will be treated that way by the media.
That’s totally understandable: After all, when it comes to capturing the attention of the tech industry (and tech-savvy consumers), nobody can compete with Apple.
Yet Android owns nearly 85% of the worldwide smartphone market, according to Q2 numbers from both IDC and Strategy Analytics. Meanwhile, iOS has fallen to less than 12% from 18% three years ago. Based on those numbers, Android One devices could  outsell the iPhone 6 globally over the next year.

 

This is not to suggest that Android One will steal away customers from Apple. That’s crazy talk. Apple focuses exclusively on the high end of the market, and Apple customers are notoriously loyal. I’m fairly certain that a huge majority of people who will buy the iPhone 6 already own or have owned older versions of Cupertino’s sleek smartphone. They’re lifers, and gladly so.
Android’s recent growth, in contrast, has been “fueled by gains in the low ($100 to $200) and ultra-low end (sub-$100) of the market,” IDG reports. The Android One is targeting those same markets already dominated by the search giant, which might lead you to ask, “What is Google trying to accomplish here?”

That’s simple: Google wants to impose some quality control on the low end of the market. Ever since Google launched Android more than five years ago, it has granted OEMs wide latitude regarding hardware parts and modifications to Android’s open source code. The result has been hundreds of Android models, many running ancient versions of the mobile OS, along with pre-installed bloatware from both manufacturers and carriers.
Google knows these inconsistent experiences are bad for business, not just because many Google services won’t work on some Android devices -- and use of Google services is a crucial part of the company’s business model -- but also because they do nothing to build loyalty to Android. Android One is supposed to change that by provider manufacturers with specs for hardware parts, up-to-date versions of Android, and faster upgrades.  
Alhough Android One initially will target emerging markets and first-time smartphone owners, look ahead a few years and you can imagine inexpensive Android One devices eating away at the high end of the Android market, where a small number of phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and LG G3 have been trying to compete with the iPhone.
Here’s why: While most iPhone owners are always willing to pay a premium for Apple’s smartphones (and, really, any Apple product), many high-end Android device owners shell out relatively big bucks (usually as part of a two-year carrier contract) to get a current version of Google’s mobile OS along with hardware that doesn’t feel cheap.
But if Android One delivers a quality Android experience with reasonably acceptable hardware, many high-end Android owners will be more than willing to spend less to get what they need (as opposed to what they want).

I’m one of them. I love my HTC One, but if I wasn’t locked into a two-year deal with Verizon, I would have snatched up the Nexus 5 last year for $349 without a contract.
Samsung, the leading Android manufacturer, knows all too well that this race to the bottom could devastate its high-end, high-margin business. It’s one of the reasons the company developed its own mobile OS, Tizen. And the other high-end Android OEMs, such as LG and HTC, have their own financial struggles.

If you’re a satisfied, high-end Android device owner, this might seem like a gloomy prognosis. But I think trying to make the less-expensive Android devices better not only will help Google in the long run, it will be good for consumers. Smartphones break, get lost, and get stolen with amazing frequency. Why continue paying top dollar (either through an unlocked device or a prohibitive carrier contract) for what essentially are disposable devices?

Source Article: http://www.citeworld.com/article/2604668/mobile-byod/the-android-one-could-gut-the-market-for-high-end-android-phones.html