1 | Sunday Alamba, AP Google is teaming up with Infinix to offer an $87 smartphone in some African countries. |
2 | - Google is introducing a low-priced smartphone in six African countries where most people still can't afford an Internet-connected device. |
3 | The phone announced Tuesday is made by Infinix and will cost about $87. |
4 | It will be sold in stores in Nigeria and offered by online retailer Jumia in five other countries: Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Morocco. |
5 | Infinix worked with Google on the "Hot 2" phone as part of a program called Android One that made its debut in India last year. |
6 | Android One represents Google's push to lower the prices of smartphones in less developed parts of the world where computers are considered a luxury. |
7 | Google consults with device makers to build cheap phones that can still run the latest version of its Android software. |
8 | Infinix's phone will be sold with an Android release that came out last year under the nickname "Lollipop." |
9 | It will be capable of running the next upgrade of Android, called "Marshmallow," due out this fall. |
10 | The price for the Hot 2 is a steep markdown from other smartphones equipped with Android's newest software. |
11 | For instance, prices for Samsung Electronics newest Android phones to be released this month will cost from about $700 to more than $800 without a wireless contract. |
12 | The Android phones being released in Africa, though, are bare-bones models that can't do as many things as more expensive phones. |
13 | Google, Facebook and other Internet companies are trying to get more people online in places like Africa so they can expand their audiences and eventually sell more digital advertising. |
14 | As part of that effort, Google already has built a fiber-optic network to provide faster Internet access in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. |