Ringing Bells unveiled its Freedom 251 smartphone
touting features that included a 4-inch display, 1.3-GHz quad-core
processor and 8 GB of storage. The
"made-in-India" product was listed for just 251 rupees ($3.65), a price
with the potential to revolutionize India's devices market and make
Internet access affordable for tens of millions of people. One problem:
Industry insiders say the deal is too good to be true. "This seems to be
a joke or a scam. It is something we are very upset
about," said Pankaj Mohindroo, national president of the Indian Cellular
Association. "This is being investigated by various government
authorities." In a letter to India's Minister for
Communications and I.T., Mohindroo said that even when using the
cheapest components, such a phone would cost at least 2700 rupees ($40)
to produce. After counting taxes and duties, the price should be at
least 3500 rupees ($52). How will this incredibly low price point affect
adoption among one sixth of the world's population? Send us your
comments here at the Smart and Tablet Zone:
http://cloudandcybersecurity.blogspot.com/
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