There are 3 billion people in the world who have no access at all to the internet.
They might have a $30 cellphone or feature phone to call & text but there’s no way they could fork out a hundred dollars for an Android smartphone.
KaiOS is bridging that gap rapidly.
KaiOS is a mobile operating system, like Android and iOS, specifically built to power cheap feature phones.
With 4G connections becoming reliable and cheap even in developing countries, KaiOS is betting on the fact that cheap devices can take advantage of cloud computing and offload all the processing to an external server.
KaiOS-run feature phones have already picked up support for Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp Inc. and Google Map.
It’s just a matter of time before Instagram, Spotify and Uber show up on these tiny phones.
Especially in developing countries, this piece of software will give people access to a completely new way of living.
Speaking of Uber, I was wondering how would the Uber app look like on a $30 feature phone. How would a person living in rural India request an Uber?
Check out my Uber Rider App prototype (built for KaiOS – most popular OS for feature phones).
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Prashant Bagga 