G’Five, a Chinese mobile handset maker, is planning to launch an Android based tablet PC in India within the next one month.
The tablet will be a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen device based on Android 2.1. The choice of Android 2.1 is surprising as version 2.2 is already available in a wide variety of phones, including handsets from Indian brands such as Micromax and Spice.
Other hardware details were not disclosed. However, we expect the device to run on VIA processors, with a rating of 600 MHz or more.
Jaideep Chopra, vice president, G’Five, says, “We are ready with the product; we are just waiting for the right time to introduce the device. The pricing will be competitive with what is available in the market.”
Given the fact that the tablet will be based on an older version of Android, we are expecting it to be priced below Rs 15,000 as competitors such as Olive Telecom have got devices with the latest version of Android currently selling at Rs 19,000. HCL too has entered the market with its own tablet starting at Rs 14,900.
Meanwhile, G’Five has opened 10 exclusive stores under the brand name of Mobispot. G’Five, which according to the IDC is the third largest handset player in India, is planning to launch 500 such stores across the country, including 20 in Delhi.
About Mobispot, Chopra said, “We will be launching 500 Mobispot stores across the country. We will focus not just on tier two and tier three but also metro cities with 20 stores in Delhi alone. These stores will sell only G’Five products including our lineup of mobile phones, tablets and laptops.”