Exclusive: India’s Reliance Jio is developing a low-cost laptop called the JioBook, running on JioOS

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In early 2018, Miguel Nunes, Senior Director of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, instructed The Economic Times that the American chipmaker had held talks with Reliance Jio to release laptops with cellular connectivity. Nearly 3 years later, it appears that evidently, Jio is ultimately growing a product primarily based totally on Qualcomm hardware, however, the additives and software program used has diverged from what becomes at the beginning discussed.
Rather than bringing out a pc walking Windows 10, the JioBook appears to be walking Google’s Android OS. Jio might also additionally dub its fork of Android as “JioOS”, in keeping with firmware reviewed through XDA. Likely to deliver down costs, Jio’s prototype pc is presently the usage of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 (sm6125), an 11nm chipset that becomes introduced in early 2019. The chipset capabilities an integrated 4G LTE modem — the Snapdragon X12 — that the JioBook will possibly leverage to offer cell connectivity to Reliance Jio’s expansive 4G community.
To increase the product, Jio is partnering with China-primarily based totally Bluebank Communication Technology, an engineering company that creates cell gadgets and develops software program for third-parties, in keeping with files reviewed through XDA. On its website, Blueback proudly mentions its paintings developing merchandise that run KaiOS, a cell running device for characteristic phones, and consists of photographs of each generation of Reliance’s JioPhone.
According to the files we reviewed, improvement at the JioBook commenced in early September of 2020 and is predicted to maintain thru the primary 1/2 of 2021. At the EVT or Engineering Validation Test, level of the product improvement cycle, the JioBook had unfinalized hardware, such as a recycled keyboard that contained a Windows key, as visible withinside the stay photo under acquired through XDA. By mid-April, the product is predicted to go into the PVT, or Product Validation Test, level of the product improvement cycle, so its contemporary layout possibly appears in the direction of the very last hardware than what’s proven under. In particular, the Windows key will possibly have been swapped with a key extra becoming for the product and software program, even though we don’t understand what it’s going to had been swapped with.
While digging into the PC’s firmware, we determined proof that the PC may have a 1366×768 decision display, even though we don’t understand the dimensions of the real display.
Blueback has examined numerous iterations of the JioBook in the course of improvement, such as a version with 2GB of LPDDR4X RAM paired with 32GB of eMMC garage and later a version with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of eMMC 5.1 garages. Bluebank and Reliance Jio appear to be sourcing low-value additives from a whole lot of providers, maximum appreciably Samsung for his or her mixed cell DRAM and NAND chip in addition to Qualcomm for its Snapdragon 665. According to a listing of additives used for the PCB, the pc might also additionally have a mini HDMI connector for video output, assist for WiFi over 2.four and 5GHz frequencies, Bluetooth, a 3-axis accelerometer, and a Qualcomm audio chip.
The PC presently runs a smooth construct of Android 10, and it’s far not going the OS may be converted to Windows 10 on ARM previous to release. Qualcomm and Microsoft most effective assist Windows 10 on ARM for a handful of Snapdragon chipsets, however the Snapdragon 665 isn’t always one in all them. The JioBook possibly capabilities the Snapdragon 665 and Android to reduce down on costs, which would possibly provide an explanation for why there are presently no Google apps installed. Pre-putting in Google’s suite of programs calls for a license to distribute Google Mobile Services, that is a value that many providers are inclined to pay however does barely boom the rate of the product. As you would possibly assume, the pc’s firmware is preloaded with a large number of Jio programs, such as JioStore, JioMeet, JioPages, and Jio’s advert offerings. There are also, interestingly, numerous apps from Microsoft pre-installed, such as Microsoft Teams, Edge, and Office. We don’t understand if those apps may be shipped on manufacturing hardware, aleven though.
Although we’ve noticed the “JioBook” branding thru an evaluation of the PC’s firmware, we don’t understand for positive if the product will release beneathneath that name. The JioBook branding might line up with Reliance’s different Jio-branded merchandise, such as the bestselling JioPhone, aleven though. We do now no longer understand precisely while the product will release, however a agenda reviewed through XDA indicates that meeting ought to appear round mid-May.

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When it does release, we assume it to retail at a really low rate, aleven though we don’t understand how low with a purpose to be. Given Jio’s dominance in India as a cell community operator and its song report of promoting entry-stage hardware, there’s a great risk the JioBook will benefit traction amongst rate-aware clients seeking to buy their first PC. Getting a bigger display tool into the arms of tens of thousands and thousands of latest Indian clients has the capability to take Jio’s virtual offerings to the following stage in phrases of adoption, which might be their intention with this product.

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