John Sculley's Company Obi Worldphone Launches New 'MV1' Device in UK

After first launching in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America, Obi Worldphone is now expanding availability to the United Kingdom with the launch of its flagship £99 smartphone, the Obi MV1. Former Apple CEO John Sculley is one of the co-founders of Obi, which "is in the business of making more affordable devices," as opposed to Apple's higher-cost iPhones (via Engadget).

The design of the MV1 hopes to differentiate from the crowded "jungle" of the Android smartphone market, according to Obi executive Ankush Chatterjee. To do this, the company created the smartphone's "signature floating glass display," which is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and sits a few millimeters above the body of the device. The MV1 also has contrasting edge design, with rounded corners on the bottom of the handset and more angular, sharp edges on the top.

Whether it's to your tastes or not, the MV1 is comfortable enough in the hand, though the raised display isn't a particularly elegant feature. It's a thin, sharp edge after all, which your fingertips come into contact with regularly. Also, since the screen sticks out, it draws attention to how big and bulky the MV1 is for a 5-inch device, though that does help it feel robust.

Based on Android 5.1 Lollipop, the MV1 has an operating system called Cyanogen OS 12.1.1, allowing for "easy customization" by the user. The UI is said to be "colorful," while sporting a feature called Lightspeed UI that lets users access various widgets on the MV1's lock screen, like the phone's dialer, camera, and web apps.

For those users in the United Kingdom, the Obi MV1 can be purchased for £99 in black or white from the company's official website, or from Amazon.