Get ready for IoT-ready phones in November

With many Chinese players entering the Indian market with smartphones, gadgets and IoT devices, Indian manufacturers don't want to be left out.

Okwu Mobiles, an Indian startup smartphone company plans to shake up the market with its first IoT-ready smartphone. Brainchild of CEO and MD Anshuman Atul, Owku is targeting the smartphone for every Indian out there. The USP of the new smartphone is to ride on the IoT segment, which is touted to be the next-gen eco system of the gadgets and appliances we use at home, office and in vehicles. Okwu smartphones will be manufactured and assembled in Shenzhen, China and the company plans to have their own assembly unit in India ahead.

The company has revealed only a few specifications about the debuting smartphone. It includes an all-metal frame, 4G LTE, a 5.5-inch HD IPS display and powered by a 2500mAh battery. The brand presently plans the launch of a budget device along with an IoT accessory or two, while many more new accessories and smartphones will be added to the Okwu portfolio in the upcoming months, Atul told this newspaper.

Okwu promises a cheaper price tag and has planned around 10,000 handsets during the initial sale with prices ranging between Rs 6,000 and Rs 20,000. Along with the smartphones, Okwu has also planned to launch accessories and IoT gadgets, under the U Arena series, to compliment their handsets and beneficial for consumers. For now, they have planned U-Tag, a Bluetooth tag that latches to your belongings and can be tracked using your smartphone. U Plugs is another accessory that can be connected to regular home appliances, which can be controlled from your smartphone over the wireless network, such as turning them on or off. U Chip is a device where one can convert smart home appliances into IoT devices. For example, you can plug in the Chip to smart refrigerators and air conditions and keep control over the appliance from your phone. U Cars is another gadget that can turn your regular car smart. With this device, one can authenticate people to step into your cars without a key. U Cars connects to the OBD port on any car and uses a SIM card with Wireless networking connectivity to connect to your smartphone. Lastly, U Think will be a cloud-based app that allows you to create a dashboard for operating and controlling all the IoT devices in the U Arena from one single point. It will enable you to share information across all devices. For example, you would be able to know what you have inside your refrigerator or turn on the AC before arrival, even if you are in office, or locate your car on your desktop too.

The devices will be unveiled in mid November and prices will be revealed during the launch event scheduled in the country's capital.