We at GizChina love affordable technology, but an Indian brand — Ringing Bells — is taking it to another level.
The company is set to announce a phone tomorrow, i.e., on February 17th, known as the Freedom 251 which will cost lesser than 500 INR ($7.3).
The Chinese, Indian and other surrounding markets are known to have some super cheap (~$10) feature phones selling there… but what Ringing Bells is set out to do is something completely different.
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By ‘smartphone’, we hope Ringing Bells refer to a phone that has a camera, modular OS (Java-based or Android), ability to install apps, and other usual features like WiFi and Bluetooth. That said, it does seem a little farfetched to expect all that in a $7 gadget.
Ringing Bells reckon that the phone will be made with backing from the Indian government, which makes subsidy, and thus the 7$ phone, a possibility.
We should know tomorrow. Meanwhile, let us know what the idea of a $7 phone brings to your mind!
Lol …
1 inch display,10×20 resolution,vga camera, 1 point touch, infrared
I think that’s about right, except the infrared bit! Seriously though it depends how much it’s being subsidized really.
Yea I have a feeling several larger firms are footing the costs in exchange for advertising.
4 inch 854×480 TN screen, dual core processor, 2mpx camera, 256mb ram, 2gb internal storage and android 4.4.2, 2G (3G and bluetooth maybe)
“ability to install apps”… Obviously, not a single word about “ability to USE apps” with the hw they’ll put in ?
The screen consists of 8 LEDs and it runs on 2 AA batteries.
Not included, obviously.
kinda amazing that you can make a phone for $7 period. I mean, forget labor costs. Forget buying current product. Even using warehouse overflow, the value of the physical parts in .. just the screen, is on the order of $7.
pretty sure it WONT have a front camera 😀
pretty sure it WONT have any cameras
ugh
It does have vga front cam and 3mp back
If I was a betting man I would say whatever UI they use is going to be loaded with bloat and crapware to make up for the costs they will lose manufacturing these. Expect it to be heavily sponsored.
Sponsored by: The Government
even worse !
No way.
lol wut ?!
A cheap SoC with 320×240 4 inch screen and a small 1200MaH battery and maybe 512MB of RAM all in one package do actually cost around 5$, so the manufacturer will actually make a small profit.
Got 1gb ram, qHD 4inch display, 3g, 1450mah battery, VGA front and 3mp back camera..
And price is less than 4$ or ₹251
An idea of 7$ phone brings back a memory of Nokia 3310 which long after its time at really lo price whose used even in self defense as the thing whose almost unbreakable. So simply I wouldn’t hesitate to use an 7$ phone in self defense.
A phone with advertising built into its ROM ?
what the idea of a $7 phone brings to my mind ? Hmmmm….
Subsidized dev for R&D
Children labour for production
Ad run OS for ROI