Android original co-founder Andy Rubin to set up smartphone company

Android original co-founder Andy Rubin is working to set up his own smartphone company according to a report. According to The Information, Rubin had been hiring people for the new venture, which might the financed via the Playground Fund that he founded recently.

Playground Fund, a start-up incubator, had so far raised $300 million. Rubin led the Robotics division at Google but left the company in March 2014. Rubin had been heading Android till 2013, which Sundar Pichai later took over as Android and Chrome head.

According to the report, Rubin's smartphone company will ''try to take advantage of industry trends, which have made easier to produce and launch new brands in recent years.''

According to commentators, it remained to be seen what kind of smartphones Andy Rubin's company would eventually make. The budget and mid-budget segment had seen massive growth in the last couple of years, with companies across the board launching phones in the price-range. The premium side, however, was dominated by Apple and Samsung's top few phones.

Rubin joins former Apple head John Sculley, who introduced his own smartphone brand with the Obi Worldphone.

An earlier report by The information claimed that Google was also considering making its own Android handset. There had also been reports that Google was in discussion with chipmakers to make its custom-designed processors. According to commentators, if this were to come out true the move to build its own smartphone could backfire for Google as it could affect relationships with current OEM partners. They say, the decision could, however, benefit the industry as it would set a benchmark for others manufacturers to follow.