Lava International is introducing its highly customised Android-based operating system called Hive through its upcoming smartphone Xolo Play 8X-1000, taking a leaf out of Chinese vendor Xiaomi’s book.Xiaomi, the world’s fifth largest smartphone maker, uses Android-based MIUI operating system in its smartphones. The company also offers its own app-based services and content through the operating system.
“Lava has developed the entire custom ROM (Android-based operating system) and UI (user interface) by itself. We will be going out in a Xiaomi kind of direction. Xiaomi has a custom ROM and they try to push a lot of content and they try to keep their users more engaged,” SN Rai, cofounder of Lava international told ET.
The company aims to increase its market share to 10% from 6% at present, Rai said, without disclosing the time frame. Lava also plans to develop applications and content around the Hive operating system to build an ecosystem. Alongside, it aims to monetise the platform by pushing services and content to consumers.
Asked if Lava was also working with Google for the Android One project, Rai replied in the negative but said the Hive platform would do for Lava what Android One would do for Google. “With Android One, Google is trying to control the user experience. They will have the actual advantage with consumer behaviour insights. Under the Android One project, Google is not allowing smartphone players to change anything. Just a few customisations can be done at the skin level,” he said.
Lava is also looking to provide Hive platform to other smartphone makers under licensing, he said. Lava plans to launch eight to 10 new smartphones along with a Qualcommbased tablet by the end of this fiscal.
Lava, under its Xolo brand, has already rolled out its 4G LTE-enabled smartphone in the country
