Smartphone has design and icons similar to the iPhone.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Freedom 251, the smartphone launched today under ‘Make in India’ initiative for Rs. 251 ($3.66) may soon court trouble as the country’s most affordable handset looks like an illegitimate cousin of the expensive Apple iPhone.
A few images of the cheapest Indian smartphone accessed by The American Bazaar suggests that the device, which is boasted as the latest achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative, might face copyright infringement for stealing Apple’s design and icons.
India’s most affordable smartphone was launched by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in an event that was also attended by senior BJP MP Murali Manohar Joshi and Madhya Pradesh legislator Omprakash Sakhlecha in Delhi.
Ringing Bells, the manufacturers of the device, during the launch event announced that the smartphone dubbed “Freedom 251†will be available to purchase from their official website starting on Thursday at a cost of Rs.251 ($3.6).
According to people who had a chance to use the handset unit during the launch event, the “most affordable smartphone†is riddled with problems that start right from the design, as it seems like Ringing Bells used the same mould used by Apple to make the iPhone 4.
According to Hindustan Times, the spokesperson of Ringing Bells evaded questions saying that he has not seen the phone himself.
Ironically, the images that are circulating of the device suggests that not only the design but the icons used in the software also resembles that of an iPhone. The images of the two devices, (on the left the iPhone and on the right the Freedom 251) suggests that the company might have outdone Apple in copying the icons of the iOS, which is the same for all Apple devices – iPhones, iPads and the Mac.
In contrary to the name given to the phone – Freedom 251, it seems to be a distorted mirror image of the US smartphone giant’s bestseller.
For those who expected a device similar to the one advertised in the official Twitter and Facebook handle of Ringing Bells, the device came as a shock. For those who went closer for an inspection, the round home button and the position of the speakers were enough to conclude the clumsiness of Ringing Bells’ creative department.
When coming to the claim that the smartphone is made in India, the front panel of the Freedom 251 has the name of Adcom, imprinted on it. ADCOM is a part of the Advantage Group, one of the IT & technology products, TABLETS and MOBILE importers in India.
It has been reported that Adcom doesn’t have any knowledge about their logo being used in the Freedom 251. “We have no idea that our branding is being used on the Freedom 251. We will look into this,†Adcom’s marketing head Deepanjali Arora was quoted by Hindustan Times.
According to the official website of Freedom 251, the smartphone was supposed to be preloaded with apps such as Swachh Bharath, a new women’s safety app, Whatsapp, YouTube and Facebook. But in reality, the phone doesn’t have any of these apps, at least on the one’s that were on the displayed during the launch event.
According to the official website of Freedom 251, the device is powered by a 1.3Ghz Quadcore processor, coupled with 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory. The device also features a 3.2 MP rear camera and .3 MP front camera. The device also boasts of connectivity options like dual-SIM card slots, and 3G support. It runs on a customized version of Android 5.1 Lollipop.
Pre-bookings for the phone will start on February 18, at 6AM but the delivery for the phone can be expected only by June 30, 2016.
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