Google’s decision to name the next version of Android (build 4.4) KitKat has certainly been a controversial one, but it could all have been very different if a set of geeks from India had got their way.
500 Startups-backed shopping search site Pricebaba last year launched a campaign to convince Google to name the new build after Indian sweet Kaju Katli, but their ambitious goal ultimately ended in defeat following Google’s announcement.
Undeterred by their failure, they’re already setting their sights on the next version — which, by Google’s naming convention, will begin with the letter ‘L’ — after starting a fresh campaign in favor of naming it Ladoo, a ball-shaped sweet made from flour, sugar and other ingredients.
From the campaign site:
We are Indians. We have a big heart. We understand that there might be commercial pressures to do so. Or may be our voices were just not loud enough to make KajuKatli Android a reality. We still love Android and we are committed to see a version of Android that is dedicated after an Indian sweet. With enough advance notice this time, we request you to name the next version of Android as LADOO.
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In addition to seeking support on social networks and the rest of the Internet to give the campaign some visibility, Pricebaba is preparing to send boxes of Ladoo to Google execs, a tactic that it also employed when promoting Kaju Katli.
The Ladoo campaign is fun but it doesn’t appear to have much potential, since Google told the BBC it canceled plans to call Android 4.4 Key Lime Pie because “very few people actually know the taste”.
That said, Sundar Pichai, the executive who heads up Android, will be familiar with the sweet since he was born and raised in India. While he may at least open the box Pricebaba is sending to him, anything further seems unlikely.
Headline image via arvindgrover / Flickr
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