Freedom 251
| Brand | Ringing Bells |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Ringing Bells Private Limited |
| Series | Freedom series |
| Compatible networks | 2.5G, 3G, HSUPA |
| First released | February 18, 2016 |
| Availability by country | India |
| Type | Smartphone |
| Form factor | Slate |
| Dimensions | 960x540 pixels |
| Weight | 130 g |
| Operating system | Android 5.1 Lollipop |
| CPU | 1.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor |
| Memory | 1 GB RAM |
| Storage | 8 GB |
| Removable storage | Up to 32 GB MicroSD |
| Battery | 1450 mAh Lithium-ion battery |
| Data inputs | Touchscreen, Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor |
| Display | 102 mm (4.0 in) qHD IPS Display |
| Rear camera | 3.2 megapixel |
| Front camera | 0.3 megapixel |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, DLNA, UMA |
| Other | Wi-Fi Hot Spot, FM radio |
| Website | http://www.freedom251.com/ |
The Freedom 251 is a smartphone that was initially offered for sale in India at the promotional price of ₹251 (the equivalent of $3.67 as of 18 February 2016). It is being sold by Ringing Bells Private Limited and is marketed as the world's cheapest smartphone.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Somaiya has stated that the phone is bogus and the promotion is a Ponzi scam. He filed a complaint which led to an FIR being registered against Ringing Bells Director Mohit Goel and company president Ashok Chaddha under Section 420 of the IPC as well as the Information Technology Act.
Promotion
The promotional price was offered for a limited time only to online bookings between 18 and 21 February. Traffic was so high on the website that it crashed on the first day. The company says that the regular price will be about ₹500 ($7.27 at February 2016 exchange rates).[1]
The company plans to sell 5 million phones by June 2016. At the point its website crashed, it had taken bookings for only 30,000 at the Rs 251 price, a small number in comparison.[2] By the time bookings closed, Ringing Bells claimed they had taken bookings worth Rs 17.5 million. [3]
Money refund
Ringing Bells, makers of the controversial world’s cheapest smartphone which has promised to return money to 30,000 customers who pre-booked the Rs.251 (less than $4) device on the first day of the sale, said on Monday that the refund will reach their accounts any time this week.
The company says that negative speculation around its Rs 251 smartphone has led them to take the step, customers who have booked the phone will now pay only after the smartphone is delivered to them.[4]
Controversies and criticism
The Indian Cellular Association (ICA) has doubted that a smartphone can realistically be sold at a price as low as Rs 251 and have asked the Telecom Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, to intervene. According to the ICA, even with a subsidized sale, the selling price should not be less than Rs 3,500. The ICA also complained that senior members of the government had been present at the product launch.[5]
According to Narayanan Madhavan writing in the Hindustan Times, a price of Rs 251 is possible only through deals with advertising partners. Such deals would only be possible once a very large number of handsets were in use.[6]
On 20 February 2016, the offices of Ringing Bells were raided by government officials investigating why the product does not have Bureau of Indian Standards certification.[7]
Some commentators indicate that the Freedom 251 sale is a scam.[8] The phone looks like a Chinese phone where the original brand label was covered with whitener. The icons shown on screen shots are copied from Apple's iPhone. There are also reports that many people ordered the phone but did not even receive a confirmation email. Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Somaiya described Ringing Bells as "a Ponzi bogus company scam". He has requested that the Telecom Ministry, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, and various other ministries investigate the company.[9] As a result of these concerns, the payment gateway facilitator PayUBiz decided to withold payment to Ringing Bells until the items were dispatched.[3]
The Telecom Ministry after conducting an internal assessment on the phone found that it could not be offered for less than Rs. 2,300 - 2,400.[10]
Ringing Bells has also been accused of fraud and non-payment of dues by its customer services provider Cyfuture [11] [12] [13]
References
- ↑ "Freedom 251: India's cheapest Android smartphone launched at Rs 251" The Indian Express, 18 February 2016.
- ↑ Debashis Sarkar, "Freedom 251 site crashed after 30,000 bookings; to launch Bells SIM card", The Times of India, 19 February 2016.
- 1 2 Tech Desk, "Ringing Bells Freedom 251 now has cash on delivery option", Indian Express, 26 February 2016.
- ↑ "Freedom 251: Ringing Bells says pre-booking money will be refunded". http://www.hindustantimes.com/. Retrieved 2016-03-01. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Freedom 251: Mobile industry raises concerns", The Times of India, 18 February 2016.
- ↑ Narayanan Madhavan, "A Rs 251 phone is possible, but its chances are tough. Here's why", Hindustan Times, 20 February 2016.
- ↑ "Income Tax department raids Ringing Bells' Noida office in connection with Freedom 251 Smartphone", Miscw. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ↑ "Here's Why The Freedom 251 Might Be The Scammiest Scam Of 2016". indiatimes.com.
- ↑ ANI, "Freedom 251 is a ponzi scam: BJP MP Kirit Somaiya", The Indian Express, 20 February 2016.
- ↑ "Telecom ministry assessment doubtful about Freedom 251 : News, News - India Today".
- ↑ "Noida-based BPO Cyfuture files police complaint against Ringing Bells". The Economic Times.
- ↑ "Freedom 251-maker Ringing Bells now accused of cheating and fraud by its customer service provider". IBNLive.
- ↑ "Freedom 251-maker Ringing Bells accused of fraud by its customer service provider".