Jolla's Sailfish OS debuts in India on Snapdeal

Company, set up by ex-Nokia employees, looking for Indian partners for its OS

It is raining operating systems (OS) in the Indian smartphone market and the latest to join the bandwagon is Finnish company Jolla with its Sailfish OS. The company on Tuesday launched its maiden handset running the OS, available exclusively on Snapdeal for Rs 16,499. It said its OS offers users a differentiated user experience compared to Android and other operating systems.

Jolla was founded by former Nokia employees who were once part of the MeeGo team that was asked to develop a Linux-based OS in collaboration with Intel. The OS was discontinued by Nokia when it decided to concentrate on Windows.

A team headed by Marc Dillon and Sami Pienimaki then left Nokia to form Jolla, utilising funding from Nokia's "Bridge" programme which helps establish and support start-up companies formed by ex-employees.

Sailfish OS is based on the open source components of MeeGo, while the closed source user interface design had to be developed from scratch.

The smartphone has a distinct button-less design, gesture-based user experience and is compatible with most Android applications without direct access to the Google Play Store.

It features a 4.5-inch IPS display, 1.4GHz dual core Qualcomm processor, 8 megapixel (MP) rear and 2MP front camera with 1 GB RAM. For storage, the phone has 16GB of memory built in and this can be expanded further up to 64GB with a microSD card.

The OS is starkly different from Android, Windows and Blackberry with its focus on multi-tasking without jumping in and out of apps. It takes a while for users to get a hang of the OS.

The company said it is looking for Indian partners to develop smartphones powered by its OS.

"We are looking for local players for using Sailfish OS. Android is dominant in the market but we feel users should have a choice. We would want to expand the market for Sailfish OS," Jolla co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Marc Dillon told PTI.

Google's Android OS is the most popular OS globally, including India. Handset makers like Samsung, LG and Sony as well as domestic firms like Micromax and Intex offer slew of handsets across price points starting as low as Rs 1,999.

Other popular operating systems are Apple's iOS, Microsoft Windows as well as BlackBerry.

Globally, the smartphone is available to European users from the company's online store for ^349 (about Rs 27,500).

Handset makers are focussing on India, which is one of the world's fastest growing smartphone market. According to research firm IDC, smartphone shipment to India grew three-fold to over 44 million units last year.

While companies like Oppo, Gionee and Xiaomi have entered the market recently, other firms like OnePlus are also expected to foray into India soon.

"India is the biggest growing market in the world. Also, online shopping is taking off in a big way. India is therefore a crucial market for us," Dillion said.

Asked about the marketing, Snapdeal Senior Vice-President (Electronics and Home) Tony Navin said the e-commerce firm will promote the device on the digital platform.

"This is one smartphone that a lot of people in India have been waiting for. With its independent and distinctive Sailfish OS, gesture-based user experience and Android application compatibility, Jolla offers a great alternative for smartphone users looking for something new and different," he added.