Firstouch, a Mumbai-based firm dealing with mobile handsets, has developed and introduced a regional language smartphone in Gujarati, targeted at non-English literate first time smartphone users. The company’s Android-based smartphones, which are customised to Indian needs through their developed Operating System (OS), are distinct from other smartphones that provide language options to users.
“No other language smartphone maker has customised its operating system to cater to the needs of a semi-urban and rural smartphone user. They just add languages to the phone,” said Rakesh Deshmukh, CEO, MoFirst Solutions. “We have developed a 48-key predictive vernacular keyboard which is designed to easily type Indian matras and characters with features like auto-complete and word suggestions among others. The users are finding it very easy to handle,” Mr. Deshmukh said. He said the company had also developed a swipe language technology, which allowed users to translate and transliterate Indian regional languages text to English and vice versa with a single swipe making it easy to understand and communicate.
Firstouch did a pilot project in Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat in May 2014 and has sold over 3,000 phones priced at Rs.6,000 each.
“We will soon launch regional smartphones in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Odia languages,” Mr. Rakesh Deskhukh said.
