When Noida-essentially essentially based Ringing Bells announced that it is launching a smartphone priced at Rs 251, minute did it know the news would rather actually disrupt the cell market and bring with it some serious doubts. Freedom 251 – an Android-essentially essentially based smartphone- used to be announced earlier this week at an tournament the dimensions of an Indian marriage ceremony. Nonetheless, as rapidly as the so-called overview models were handed to the media persons, a Pandora’s field used to be unleashed.
From shoddily re-labeling Adcom Ikon 4 models as Freedom 251 with a whitener to bluntly denying having borrowed substances from the pinnacle rate Apple iOS; listed below are a few of the controversies surrounding the sphere’s cheapest smartphone:
From re-labeling Adcom Ikon 4 models as Freedom 251 with a straightforward whitener to bluntly denying having borrowed substances from the pinnacle rate Apple iOS; listed below are a few of the controversies surrounding the sphere’s cheapest smartphone.
Touted as the sphere’s cheapest smartphone at Rs 251, Ringing Bells is offering the Freedom 251 with specs that encompass a 4-scurry WVGA IPS expose, 3.2 megapixel auto-level of curiosity rear digicam, 0.3 megapixel front digicam, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of inside of storage with SD card enhance, 1450 mAh battery, and Android 5.1 Lollipop OS. Given the specs, the cell phone is below no circumstances a uncertain quite a lot of. Nonetheless, it is the very sign of the cell phone that has stirred doubts across the cell commerce.
The Indian Cell Association expressed serious concerns over the launch of the smartphone and it has furthermore written to Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to find into depth of the self-discipline, asserting the rate could presumably no longer be below Rs 3,500 even after a subsidised sale.
Ringing Bells president Ashok Chaddha in an interview with IBNLive demystified how his company seeks to achieve this apparently unachievable feat of promoting a cell phone at a mere Rs 251. Most incessantly, the company goals to space up a market, the earnings of that can trek into bringing down the sign of the smartphone from an supreme Rs 2,300 or Rs 2,500 to true Rs 251.
After media persons obtained the overview unit, the first alarming thing seen used to be that the Freedom 251 is basically Adcom Ikon 4 in conceal. It has a in part-erased Adcom logo on the front that the company shoddily attempted to cloak with whitener. Even the Adcom logo on the reduction conceal has been scratched off and a flag of India painted atop. Even the specs publicised by Ringing Bells break no longer furthermore exactly match the overview models equipped to the media.
Refuting allegations of passing off one other company’s cell phone as its personal that could presumably plot a doubtless lawsuit, Ringing Bells president Ashok Chaddha has talked about in an legit assertion that the overview models are genuinely “no longer the final half,” and that they “were to lend a hand ideal as prototypes given FOC to a restricted list of persons”. He extra redirected queries to Sanjiv Bhatia – the Director of ADCOM – to repeat the truth.
Bearing striking resemblance to the widespread Apple iOS, the Freedom 251 is asserted to be an Android cell phone. On the demand about being no longer listed as an Android partner, the company has talked about that it is certainly registered with Google Android Developers Platform and clarified its stance by issuing a screenshot of an mumble receipt from Google. Furthermore, the cell phone has been promised to contain pre-loaded apps for farmers and women security, none of that are readily available on the so-called prototype. Chaddha has assured that these will likely be repeat on the ‘Final Freedom 251’ with a personalized designed new UI.
The cell phone just isn’t any longer listed on the BIS certifications page, however the company has talked about that the applying is below filing and it is anticipated to be in keep effectively previous to circulation commences on February 25. On allegations of no longer being registered with Qualcomm, which is a mandate for all 3G handsets, the company says that Freedom 251 runs the Spreadtrum chipset, so there would possibly perchance be no requirement of being registered with Qualcomm.
When the company announced the cell phone, it made are residing online registrations via a dedicated sitefreedom251.com. Nonetheless, within the initiate the online page used to be no longer accessible with out taking away the widespread ‘www’ prefix. Later the ache used to be resolved, but when a individual clicked on the pay now button after filling personal and address particulars, it redirected to the major page. Ringing Bells has claimed that there were 20 lakh requests on February 18, taking the total selection of registrations obtained on the day to a pair,70,15,000 which within the break overloaded their payment gateways. Since then the ache as been fastened, per the company.
On the time of writing, the online page displays a ‘bookings closed’ page, asserting the registrations have exceeded expectations and hence share 1 bookings were closed. Those which were ready to e book the instrument have complained that there has no longer been any confirmation about the mumble to which the company says PayU (Price Gateway) has obtained Rs 1.75 crores in opposition to the win bookings of the handset in share 1 and the company will claim its money ideal after it completes transport on February 25 and after it submits proof of transport.
Whether the Rs 251 Freedom 251 smartphone is a true thing or true a conception in-the-air, we are in a position to know once the transport begins on February 25.