Online launch likely by end of December.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: Indian smartphone maker Micromax, which has the largest market share among Indian manufacturers, has partnered with Cyanogen, to launch a new online smartphone brand called Yu.
Cyanogen is an Android-based open source operating system for smartphones and tablet computers. The new brand will feature a separate layer of useful services in the existing Android platform, giving users enhanced experience. The new project of Micromax will be headed by its co-founder Rahul Sharma.
According to the official announcement of Micromax, “The brand Yu owned by Yu Televentures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Micromax Informatics, will be only sold online. Led by Rahul Sharma, co-founder of Micromax, the Internet brand will cater to the new age audience. Yu devices will be announced in India from December 2014.”
Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma said, “This will be a game changer not just in India, but globally too. As YU is envisioned to build an ecosystem of connected devices and offer a differentiated user experience, we will engage directly with consumers.”
There have been several talks between Micromax and Cyanogen since the last one year regarding a project codenamed Yureka. The project Yureka is aimed at building a community for Micromax customers where they can engage directly with representatives to resolve their smartphone problems – beyond the hardware and software issues.
When Micromax joins hand with Cyanogen, customers can expect a lot more features on the future Micromax devices, including better operating platform, customization, security and privacy.
Yu is considered as a brand for the new generation of digital savvy youth who prefers to stay connected 24×7. Also, tech enthusiasts who are looking forward to doing more with their smartphones will also find Yu as a useful gadget.
Micromax is planning to launch the first Yu smartphone in India by the end of December.