Ringing Bells Freedom 251 smartphone

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Freedom 251 Maker Ringing Bells Introduces Loyalty Card Programme...

Noida-based Ringing Bells that introduced the world's cheapest smartphone Freedom 251 on Tuesday launched a loyalty card programme for its products on its first anniversary.
With silver, gold and platinum loyalty cards, customers will get discounts on purchase of every Ringing Bells product, along with a Freedom 251 smartphone as free gift.
"The loyalty cards will be valid for one year and customers will get 5 percent, 10 percent and 15 percent discount on buying Ringing Bells products with cards on denomination of Rs. 500, Rs. 1,000, and Rs. 2,000," the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
"The silver and gold cards are entitled to one free unit of Freedom 251 and the platinum card is entitled to two free units of Freedom 251," the company added.
The booking for the loyalty cards will begin on its website from Thursday.
In the meanwhile, yet another unknown company has come forth to announce the launch of a budget smartphone at an incredible price - Rs. 501. Called the ChampOne C1, the smartphone actually features a price of Rs. 7,999, but the Jodhpur-based firm behind the device is selling it at Rs. 501 in its first flash sale on Friday. The smartphone's highlight feature at the price is the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor.
The ChampOne C1 runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop and supports dual-SIM. It features a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display, and is powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6735 quad-core processor with 2GB RAM. It offers 16GB of inbuilt storage. Optics include an 8-megapixel back camera, and a 5-megapixel front snapper. There's a 2500mAh battery packed inside, and connectivity options include 4G LTE support. It will be made available in White, Silver, and Gold colour options.

Freedom 251 Maker Ringing Bells Introduces Loyalty Card Programme | NDTV Gadgets360.com
 
Freedom 251 Maker to Start Selling Phones, TVs, and More via Amazon India...

Noida-based Ringing Bells, a company that came to the spotlight with the launch of the 'world's cheapest smartphone' - the Freedom 251, on Friday announced its products will be available on Amazon India, starting Saturday. The day also happens to be the start of the Amazon Great Indian Sale.
In an emailed statement, Ringing Bells detailed which products will be available via the e-commerce site, and notably, the list does not include the Freedom 251.
Ringing Bells says the Freedom LED TV series will be made available on Amazon India, alongside select smartphones, feature phones, as well as power banks.
Detailing which televisions in the Freedom LED TV will be available, Ringing Bells said the Freedom Junior (24-inch), Freedom Young (32-inch), and Freedom Mega (40-inch) will go on sale on Amazon India from Saturday, priced in the range of Rs. 8,999 to Rs. 19,999.
Ringing Bells also said its features phones, Hit, King, and Raja, will be available on Amazon India, priced in the range of Rs. 699 to Rs. 1,099. The company at this point will also be making a single smartphone available, the Elegant, priced at Rs. 3,999. Finally, a 4000mAh power bank from the company will also be sold - the RB Power - at Rs. 399.
Speaking on the occasion, a Ringing Bells spokesperson said, "After introducing loyalty card programme last month, we have received encouraging response from our customers. As most of the buyers prefer online buying rather than visiting the retail outlets especially for items like mobile phones and TVs. Listing our products on Amazon India will help us in expanding our footholds across the country that we were trying to do it through our conventional network".

Freedom 251 Maker to Start Selling Phones, Televisions, and More via Amazon India | NDTV Gadgets360.com
 
If you are among those who pre-booked the world's cheapest smartphone at Rs 251 (less than $4) and are yet to hear from its Noida-based makers, you are not alone. The promise of delivering "nearly 200,000 Freedom 251 handsets" has fallen flat and most people who booked the handset are yet to see one.

After announcing that it has delivered 5,000 Freedom 251 smartphones in July, Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd said it would deliver 65,000 more to those who had booked the device in cash on delivery (COD) mode.

After that, no new numbers have been shared and it appears the initial hype has fizzled out. The company has since forayed into making TVs and other smartphones, burying the Freedom 251 dream.

Is this the biggest tech disappointment of 2016, despite Freedom 251 making national and global headlines throughout the year?

"I think we could have called it the biggest disappointment only if there had been great expectations attached to it. Every educated person, or those having fair understanding of technology, doubted it. Some may have booked one just out of curiosity but that never meant they took it seriously," Faisal Kawoosa, Principal Analyst (Telecoms) at CyberMedia Research (CMR), a market research firm, told IANS.

The company in mid-February this year had planned to deliver 2.5 million handsets before June 30. Ringing Bells received mammoth -- over 70 million -- registrations before its payment gateway crashed.

"I wouldn't call it biggest tech disappointment. But yes, it could be looked at as one of the biggest cheats in the digital age," Kawoosa added.

When reached, a Ringing Bells spokesperson told IANS that the company is working on improving its reach through distributor networks but did not say a word about Freedom 251's disappearance.

"Last six months have been phenomenal as we have reached 200 cities with a distributor network of 230. In this period, we have been able to widen our product base, including high-end mobiles and televisions. This year, we have sold 150,000 products and expect to get a 25 per cent increase in the coming months," the spokesperson said, declining to be named and without mentioning Freedom 251.

In an earlier interview with IANS, Ringing Bells CEO Mohit Goel said if the government was willing to dole out Rs 50,000 crore (about $7.5 billion), he can ensure that 750 million of our population would become part of digital India by owning a smartphone at Rs 251.

"The government can make the phone -- under our Freedom brand -- from some other vendor. I have no objection to it. To make such phone for every Indian citizen, the government needs to allocate funds from its Digital India initiative," Goel had said.

According to Parv Sharma, Research Associate at New Delhi-based Counterpoint Research, Freedom 251 raised false hopes in the people about owning a cheap smartphone.

"A massive shift in India is happening from feature phones to smartphones but that shift brings with itself a level of expectation -- expectation of consuming content, of watching videos and listening to music for a longer time and, hence, there is a need for better hardware features," Sharma told IANS.

To accommodate these features, the industry has reached a certain price point which is currently $50-$60, but packing something similar in a $4 device is not possible as of now.
"Thus, Freedom 251 failed to meet the demands of the consumers and had to cancel the pre-orders and refund the money to consumers," Sharma pointed out.

The world's cheapest phone made a splash across the globe, with almost every big media house writing about the "miracle device".

"But rather than improving our country's image, the long delay has tarnished our image globally. It is also a setback for the government which is pushing the 'Digital India' and 'Make in India' initiatives," noted Vishal Tripathi, Research Director at global market consultancy firm Gartner, adding that the government must ensure the veracity of such tall claims.

But according to Kawoosa, if the government starts imposing stricter controls over propositions like Freedom 251, that could mean disrupting the enabling start-up ecosystem and environment.

"In the end, the government support has to be positive to promote innovations and it will be very challenging to decide beforehand whether the innovation would be a success or failure. So one has to give a fair chance to all," Kawoosa told IANS.

"But yes, some basic-level evaluation needs to be put in place to check the business viability of such propositions, especially when it has the potential to affect everyone's lives," Kawoosa explained.

"The government should be highly concerned about the companies which do not give realistic promises and must not support such companies. We have various laws in our country to protect consumers from Ponzi companies," Sharma added.

Doubts were initially raised over Ringing Bells' handset after some experts said no smartphone could be manufactured for less than Rs 2,000.

Where has 'Freedom 251', world's cheapest smartphone, disappeared? | Business Standard News
 
I was also searched about same thing FREEDOM 251 few days back. But, all goes in vain. Nothing found. Actually, it may be possible but, political interruptions did this.
 
The makers of ' Freedom 251 ', claimed to be the world's cheapest smartphone, have been summoned as accused by a Delhi court in a Rs two-crore cheque bounce case filed by a private firm.

The court summoned the accused -- M/s Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd ( RBPL ), its authorised signatory and Managing Director Mohit Goel, its Directors Anmol Goel and Sumit Goel , CEO Dhaarna Goel and President Ashok Chaddha -- on a complaint filed by M/s Aryan Infratech Pvt Ltd (AIPL).

In its order, Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria noted that even after the legal notice was sent to the accused when the cheque got dishonoured, they failed to pay the amount.

"There is sufficient material available on record to summon all the accused. Therefore, a prima facie case punishable under section 138 Negotiable Instrument Act... Issue summons to all the accused," the court said while posting the matter for April 28 for the next hearing.

According to the complaint, the accused had issued a cheque in favour of the complainant firm AIPL towards discharge of their liability. However, it was returned by the bank on October 28 due to "insufficient funds".

Therefore, the complainant firm sent a legal notice to the accused but payment was not made and AIPL approached the court.

The complaint has sought prosecution of the firm and its office bearers and payment of the amount along with compensation.

A little-known company RBPL began selling the handset, Freedom 251, via its website in February. But the launch of the smartphone, touted to be the worlds cheapest, landed in a controversy, with some alleging it to be a ponzy scheme.

The firm had claimed that around 30,000 customers had booked the phone despite the glitch and seven crore people registered for it.

The company, however, withdrew the product and refunded the payments to customers following a close scrutiny by government agencies.

Later, the company had said that it would deliver the phone on cash-on-delivery mode to those who placed the order.

Makers of 'Freedom 251' phone summoned in cheque bounce case - ET Telecom
 
Remember Ringing Bells? The Noida-based company that shot to instant fame after announcing a Rs 251 smartphone earlier this year. Well, what happened later is a different story altogether. The company got embroiled in a spate of controversies, ranging from allegations of being a ponzy scheme to failing to meet the deadlines. While the Freedom 251 smartphone never reached most of the people who registered, the company in the meanwhile expanded its portfolio by launching low-cost TVs and smartphones. Now, a new report claims that the company has shut down, and opened a new one with the name of MDM Electronics Private Limited.

TeleAnalysis reports that the board of directors of the new company include Mohit Goel, who is also MD of Ringing Bells, and Shashank Goel and Ashok Chaddha, both associated with Ringing Bells as well. The report further says that the company ‘MDM Electronics Pvt Ltd’ is fairly new, and was set up on December 7 along with its registered office in New Delhi. Right now there’s no word on what the new company plans to sell, but the name indicates it will also be foraying into consumer electronics, and may offer feature phones, smartphones and TVs. Interestingly, Ringing Bells’ website has been shut down too. BGR India has reached out to Ringing Bells for comments.

The latest development comes months after Ringing Bells had announced selling its products through e-commerce platform Amazon India. The products that are on offer include Freedom LED TV series, smart and feature mobile handsets and power banks. It might be possible that Ringing Bells may have decided to stop taking orders on its website, and focus on selling stuff via n e-commerce website.

While the spotlight on Ringing Bells may have moved, the company was nonetheless in news for another controversy. Ringing Bells has been summoned by a Delhi court in a Rs 2 crore cheque bounce case. The company has been accused of issuing a cheque in favor of AIPL, the complainant, towards discharge of their liability. But the cheque bounced due to “insufficient funds.”

Ringing Bells had initially promised to deliver “nearly 200,000” units of Freedom 251. Later, the company failed to do so, and a lot of people who registered for the handset didn’t get the unit. Back in July, the company said it had delivered 5,000 units, and promised to deliver 65,000 units to those who had booked the device in Cash on Delivery mode. Since then, Ringing Bells hasn’t shared any new figures.

Ringing Bells MD Mohit Goel had earlier said that the company was looking for the government help to actually realize the idea of such low-cost smartphone. “The government can make the phone — under our Freedom brand — from some other vendor. I have no objection to it. To make such phone for every Indian citizen, the government needs to allocate funds from its Digital India initiative,” Goel added.

Freedom 251-maker Ringing Bells reportedly shuts down
 
RE: Freedom 251-maker Ringing Bells reportedly shuts down

Ringing Bells rubbishes news of it closing down; says 70k units of Freedom 251 delivered

Controversial company Ringing Bells that claimed to offer world's cheapest smartphone, Freedom 251 priced at Rs 251, said on Thursday that it is "very much in the market and is operating as earlier", rubbishing reports that it has shut shop.

The company also said in a statement that
MDM Electronics is a separate entity, distinct from Ringing Bells, after news came out that it had started the venture having Mohit Goel (MD of Ringing Bells), Shashank Goel (linked to the old company) and Ashok Chaddha (President of Ringing Bells) as the people running it.

Reports suggested that MDM Electronics was incorporated on 7 December with a share capital of Rs 25 lakh and paid up capital is Rs 20 lakh. Reports added that the company was looking to enter the same business as the previous company - selling smartphones, TVs etc. The company has its registered office at C-2, third floor, Kailash Colony, New Delhi.

The statement said that the company is making efforts to deliver Freedom 251 and has so far delivered around 70,000 units in states like West Bengal, Haryana, Himachal, Bihar, Uttarakhand, New Delhi, Punjab, J&K, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

"We are still getting lot of interest in our product as we have proved that it is possible to arm each and everyone with the reality of digital world. Our target is the low income people," the statement said.

Clarifying the resignation of Dharna Goel, CEO, Ringing Bells, a statement said that Anmol Goel, who is also one of the founder directors, is looking after the affairs of the company.

The company was controversial due to its failure in delivering the cheapest smartphones which millions of Indians pre-booked through its website. Hence, there were cheating cases filed against the company.

Owners of the company were recently summoned by a Delhi court for a cheque bounce case filed by Aryan Infratech Pvt Ltd, a private firm.

Ringing Bells had issued a cheque worth Rs 2 crore which bounced due to ‘insufficient funds’. The next hearing of the case will take place on 28 April.

Ringing Bells: ringing bells rubbishes news of it closing down; says 70k units of freedom 251 delivered, Telecom News, ET Telecom
 
Here's another twist to what was once claimed to be the 'biggest smartphone innovation' of the year 2016 -- Freedom 251. Mohit Goel, the managing director of the Noida-based Ringing Bells, which launched the Freedom 251 smartphone priced at Rs 250, has quit. His wife Dharna Goel who was director of the company too has resigned from her post.
The company's sector 62 office in Noida has been shut for over two weeks now. TOI tried to reach Mohit Goel on phone, however, he did not respond to our requests for a telephonic conversation.

After Freedom 251's much-hyped launch at an event in New Delhi, the company faced several charges of fraud with many terming it a ponzy scheme. In first week of December Freedom 251 founders were summoned in a cheque bounce case.
. . More recently, there were reports that Mohit Goel has started a venture called MDM Electronics. The venture MDM Electronics was reportedly incorporated on December 7 with a share capital of Rs 25 lakh and paid up capital of Rs 20 lakh. It added that the company was looking to enter the same business as the previous company - selling smartphones, TVs etc. The company has its registered office at C-2, third floor, Kailash Colony, New Delhi.

This may be the 'end' of Freedom 251 smartphone | Gadgets Now
 
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