Cyanogen is planning to “aggressively” expand its presence in India. The Co-founder and Chief Executive or Cyanogen, Kirt McMaster, told the Economic Times, “We are going to expand in India aggressively, and you can expect to see a lot more of us next year. Our Bengaluru team has 11 people, which will grow up to 60 people by the end of 2016.” The company may also be planning to fund or acquire startups in the country.
Cyanogen is also working with domestic and international vendors to launch additional devices in India next year, but the names of these vendors hasn’t been revealed. “You probably see more than six domestic and international vendors launching devices running Cyanogen in India,” McMaster said. However, the company will continue to work with Micromax’s Yu brand. The Yu Yutopia is the latest Cyanogen powered device to be launched. The phone was launched last week for Rs. 24,999 and is billed as the ‘most powerful phone on the planet’.
McMaster also said that Cyanogen is looking at several companies in India and when asked if the company has a separate fund for investment and acquisitions he said, “We have been considering something like that to fund startups, not just in India but globally. But, currently, there's no specific Cyanogen fund for this.”
Last month, it was reported that Cyanogen may launch budget phones priced between $75 and $100 and these devices may launch next year. The company hopes that a bloatware-free experience and up-to-date OS will help it stand out in the crowded budget segment.
Earlier this month, Microsoft had announced that its digital assistant, Cortana, would be deeply integrated into Cyanogen OS as compared to Android. Cyanogen would support “Hey Cortana” voice activation from any screen, unlike on Android, where it can only work from the Home screen. Cortana on Cyanogen will also allow users to change settings of the device.
Source: Economic Times