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| Shilpa Kannan takes a closer look at the Freedom 251 |
An
Indian company has launched what's being billed as the actual world's cheapest
smartphone.
Calling
Bells said their Independence 251 phone would price just 251 rupees ($3. 67;
£2. 56), and there is huge demand in the very first hours of sale.
But
sceptics have raised questions concerning the device and the corporation's
price strategy.
India
may be the world's second-largest mobile market and it has one billion mobile
telephone subscribers.
Freedom
251 is likely to target a market currently dominated by low-cost mobile phone
models.
Is
India's $3. 6 smartphone too good to become true?
The
phone has 8GB storage and cameras within the front and back, and it is model
resembles Apple's apple iphone 4, including the home switch and icons.
"This
is our flagship design and we think it'll bring a revolution in the market,
" the AFP information agency quoted a spokeswoman because saying.
The
smartphone continued sale on Thursday early morning but, just hours later on,
the company had to prevent accepting orders after its website crashed because
of huge demand: 600, 000 strikes per second, it stated.
Ringing
Bells said the telephone would be produced in your area, even though it still
doesn't have factory in India. The actual prototypes handed to journalists had
been, actually, of a Chinese-made phone using its brand name, Adcom, protected
with white paint.
It's
promised to deliver the very first devices in four several weeks.
The
company had initially said these devices would cost under 500 rupees (£5; $7.
3), before revealing a much cheaper price in the launch on Wednesday.
But
critics have raised questions concerning the smartphone, saying the price is
cheaper than what its elements would cost, let on it's own costs with
production, submission and marketing.
"It
looks like it's highly subsidized by the company which is not clear how they intend
to sustain this, " Tarun Pathak, a good analyst with Counterpoint
Technologies Research, told the Reuters information agency.
The
Indian Cellular Association reportedly wrote towards the country's telecoms
minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying it had been not possible to market a 3G
phone beneath 2, 700 rupees.
Ringing
Bells was set up some time ago and recently launched among India's cheapest 4G
mobile phones at 2, 999 rupees, the actual Press Trust of Indian reported.
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