Hop-on Android Phone

Small-scale phone maker Hop-on on Friday said it would develop a phone based on Google's Android platform. The open-source mobile operating system is pitched as giving the company a boost in competing in the high-end phone business, where it has little presence and would otherwise need to license software from another firm. Technical details of the phone are unavailable, though Hop-on claims the phone will cost below $200 and should be launched at January's Consumer Electronics Show.

The American company typically sells its phones as unlocked devices both in the US and abroad and normally focuses on budget cellphones, which are often locked out of running full smartphone operating systems due to steep performance requirements and up-front costs. Android is free to use and develop and runs on as little as a 200MHz ARM processor, letting Hop-on curb its use of expensive components.

By Electronista Staff