Android Phones – The Next Big Thing?

Have a look at the updated Samsung Mobiles Price in Pakistan (we are daily adjusting our prices to the market).

By Zahra Baray

Technology today is evolving within a blink of an eye. The necessities of ones life are changing with every new invention that is announced. If Abraham Maslow was to rethink over his hierarchy of needs, then the basics of the physiological level would not just revolve around food, shelter and clothing but inventions like the cell phone would be inclusive of the need pyramid.

Cell Phones transitioned into our lives for the basic purpose of communicating within cities but today this purpose is long gone. They are beyond just a means of communication; in fact they are one of life’s most needed accessories. A symbol depicting ones status and preference for style driving people on a mad rush for the latest in town phones. The word that has recently become the talk of our towns here in Pakistan are Android Phones. I personally am still stuck at a stage of finding a decent yet stylish cell phone for myself which could replace my Nokia 2630 and this need to change, dear friends, has been provoked by my maid’s new cell phone which happens to have a stylus.

Anyhow, in my search for cell phones the word Android phones came to light and I decided to research a bit on what exactly they were. Android phones are cell phones that use the Google-developed Adroid operating system and platform which means that they are a revolution in the cell phones industry. Now what is so revolutionary about them is that the Android software uses a complex system that can run multiple applications at the same time and in the background of a phone, making multitasking easier and the functionality of the phone more fluid than other cell phones. But I always believed that this was what a Smart Phone does so I researched a bit further as to how one could differentiate between a Smart Phone and an Android Phone. The answer, Android Phones are those Smart Phones that use the Android Operating System. Since Android Phones are driven by the Android application, several cellular manufacturers worldwide have launched their own versions of the Android Phones. Motorola Droid X, HTC EVO 4G, Samsung Galaxy X, LG Ally to name just a few. The year 2010, according to androphonez.com was a great year for Android phones, with more than 30 phone models available at the time the list was split and it’s not even the half of the year.

These phones are no ordinary phones but have various applications built in them. The applications available in an Android Phone are similar to that of a mini computer with GPRS access to the internet, facilitating you to always stay connected and check your emails, possibilities of downloading the Facebook applications and since it is a Google Invention, all Google applications can run on it freely.

Another important distinction of the Android platform is that it is not tied to a specific manufacturer. Any manufacturer interested in producing its own version of an Android phone is welcome to use the platform for their own devices. The result could mean a large number of competing cell phone companies using Android to power their mobile phones and market their devices.

Owing to the success of these phones abroad, one of our local giants was the first to introduce the Android Phones made by Motorola in Pakistan. But unfortunately they couldn’t own the platform of being the only ones for long. As now there are several Android Phones providers spread all across Pakistan but what needs to be questioned is, if normal Smart Phones like the BlackBerry and iPhone already exist in the market with prices touching the ceiling and falling after a few months of their introduction, would the introduction of the Android Phone follow the same pattern or simply offer low priced services for the Pakistani consumers? Although Apple currently enjoys dramatic iPhone growth and that too which is increasing with every new version of their new series, it’s future market share is likely to suffer from the cost barriers it is building into its pricing model which is designed to maximize its profits with ongoing revenue stream from third-party content. According to Newsweek, there’s only one place where anyone can buy iPhone applications and that is Apple’s online Application Store; so it is not just the revenue from the sale of the iPhone that Apple enjoys.

When technological advancements bring to the world a new cell phone, a new technology, a new necessity every other day, then there shouldn’t be a price war for consumers to be the victims of. We have seen tech savvy people complain about the fall in the price of the iPhones with every new version and it is quite but obvious that a new cell phone once used, does not return the same resale value. So if the pace with which these inventions come to the market remains the same or increases, then very soon every other day your cell phone or Android Phone or Smart Phone would become outdated and loose its value. Also if it is a necessity for young businessmen, a style symbol for the youngsters and a *keep away phone* from non tech savvy parents, then the prices of these phones should be kept at an affordable and reasonable level. And reasonable for the masses not just a few handful of elites who can afford a BMW.

Although the Smart Phones market has great potential in developing economies of South East Asia but instead of just an influx of technological goodies, companies need to rethink their plans for emphasizing on the cost element of these phones so that instead of a more for more pricing strategy, consumers can benefit from a more for less strategy.

This is a cross post from Telecom Recorder


  • HI pro pakistani. I m ur regular reader. I am also researching on android and its smart phone. so far. i found cheep android fone are sony erection x8, samsung galaxy 3 and Haewai Ideos. I will soon buy one of them. please u suggest me also.

    • ROFL sony erection LOL LOL LOL you made my day dude ! so im going to suggest you a phone ^.^

      tell me your budget first though :D

        • i personally dont feel you would be able to get an android powered phone in 25 k

          you could get the nokia x6 or iphone 3g (8gb) [ for around 20 to 30 k depending on the condition] or nokia c6-00 or the n900 [ the n900 only if you are a tech savvy person and would take functions over the size/design]

          if you are a simple user …. consider the iphone 3g or c6/x6

          as for android xperia x8 costs around 500 $ thats around 50 k rupees

          huawei ideos has only been announced in kenia yet and it costs 100$ thats around 10 k so if you can wait you can actually get an android phone in cheap ^.^ but if you CAN WAIT you should also consider

          nokia c6-01
          nokia c7
          both budget phones as well

          hope i helped =)

  • heheheh
    two girls at ssame time, silence absent
    1 girl 1 article, absent of free space :)

    madam pardon but subject was the only interesting thing.

  • Guys, whats wrong with the article, she is looking for reasonable price android handsets. Article is good, yes it does not have ‘breaking news masala’ in it.

  • The article doesn’t have any info about Android. Just the authors view about cellphones. No one wants to read a long full page essay, but a easy to understand and informative article.

  • This has to be the worst editorial article on Pakistani ever!.

    If you go into the market and ask for an Android phone the shopkeepers will be completely blank, they’re called Google phones in Pakistan madam.

    I’m too tired to go on about how many things were just wrong and plain off topic in this article :(. My expectations were way more when I opened it.

  • Tech geeks have taken Android,recent surge of Android powered phones has surpassed iphone demand.
    I own a 3Gs iPhone. Which ll costed me Rs.50k a year ago. One problem with Android phones is that they become out dated in no time. As hardware part of the phone is from different companies, it is very unlikely that a future Android update could be mount on most of them.
    iPhone is a little more expensive compared to Android phones, when one think on the spot price. but at the same time you get a sense of satisfaction that your phone ll be latest in terms of hardware for at least one year and in terms of software,min. Age of iPhone is 2years.
    So in long term,iPhone is not more expensive than Android.
    Also resell price of iPhone is very stable, 3Gs still costs you 35-45-k.

  • Just to share my experience with Android, would like to tell that,

    This is really the SUCKIEST so-called phone OS.
    Nothing is impressive. Poor Interface, poor visual effects, poor addon features like (NO ADVANCED) camera settings, No Advanced Equalizers, Lack of applications. Most applications work only via Internet (WIFI or GPRS) do we call these SHORTCUT icons as applications ? Reall cheap, and out dated OS which seems more of Early 2000’s is being released in 2010. Pretty Shame..

    Looking forward to Windows 7 Mobile. Read great reviews, and handsets will be out soon in market.
    Dont waste money on Google’s cheap “SH*T” OS.

    • lol i mostly agree with you , btw its windows phone 7 now ^.^ not mobile …

      and to be honest wp7 looks will it’s gonna suck too . im looking forward to meego though = )

      • yah i also think that.android is the most used os in the last 6 months in USA.

  • My cell phone won’t ever display this site right, I can look at the feeds but not the actual posts, is it on my end? Thanks Che Ore Sono Sarah


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