Spice to launch India's first 'Secure Android' handset range

Spice, one of the country’s relatively popular mobile Internet companies have announced that they will be coming up with India’s first ‘Secure Android’, which offers pre-embedded security solutions to its users in their upcoming range of MI (Mobile Internet) smartphones. The initiative will reinforce S Mobility’s efforts in making its devices safe and secure as users are becoming wary of the potential threat the data in their smartphones faces; as the world converges towards mobile Internet and m-commerce. 

An average smartphone user is exposed to various threats that can disrupt the operation of the smartphone, and transmit or modify the user data. Industry estimates suggest there are approximately six hundred varieties of mobile phone viruses and they exist only in smartphones. It is estimated that the number of global smartphone users will exceed 1 billion by 2013. While a study predicts that 26 out of every 100 phones sold globally this year will be smartphones, by 2015, smartphones will make up for 40 percent of the total handsets sold across the world. The smartphone segment is expected to see a much higher growth at 63.4 percent from 2011-15 and may achieve a shipment of 77.5 million by 2015 in the Indian market.

For these reasons, the applications deployed there must guarantee privacy and integrity of the information they handle. In addition to this, since some apps could themselves be malware, their functionality and activities should be limited.

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The solutions offered by Spice will include an anti-virus solution that will provide real-time protection from malicious Internet threats and also offer flexibility for the user to set a schedule for regular scans of data in the device as well as SD card. Also in the security stable is a Network Manager giving access to data like Traffic, setting monthly data transfer limit. Other features include anti-theft and Vault-privacy lock for following apps, like, Photos, Videos, SMS and Call Logs & Secret Contacts.

Speaking on this Mr. Kunal Ahooja, Global Head – Devices, S Mobility said, “Only a fraction of smartphones and tablets are protected by security software, despite a rise in the amount of malware targeted at mobile devices. With a visible upward trend in Mobile payments and m-commerce in India we at Spice are sensitive to the situation and hence are offering security solutions to all our users. In the future we hope to constantly innovate and offer value added solutions to all our users. Our marketing support for these top of the line handsets is going to be very strong given our vast distribution network. Spice will also support this with an aggressive marketing campaign via online medium”, he added.

The latest range of handsets will be available across India through more than 50,000 retail points including the 750+ Spice HotSpot retail network and www.saholic.com

Image source: gooble.no