The others

A host of new mobile phone companies are cashing in on the economy segment.

It would definitely be imprudent to say they came,they saw,they conquered about the large number of mobile phone companies flooding the markets,but neither can they be dismissed for the simple reason that they provide a host of high-end features akin to popular brands like Nokia and BlackBerry at almost a quarter of the price. Aimed at targeting the sub-entry level buyers,these cheap phones are definitely offering the two things that buyers from these categories are looking for economy and high functionality.

Pune mobile store S Shaikh says the new phones are not very popular with the urban crowd,especially the youth. However,these phones do constitute around 30 per cent of the overall sales in India. The fact that their price range is between Rs 3,000 and Rs 6,000 will only increase their popularity, he adds. A look at some of the new entrants that have started making their presence felt:

Micromax

One of the latest entrants in the market,Micromax also has operations in the US,Dubai,Hong Kong and Nepal. The company boasts a lot of firsts. Right from handsets with a 30-day backup battery,to handsets offering dual Sim card slots,GSM/CDMA network switching and even gravity sensors,the company has come up with some innovative designs. While the price range for these phones is still within the entry-level segment,the company,as its website states,is currently present across 40,000 mobile stores in the country and plans to reach out to customers through 70,000 stores this year. They also claim to hold a total of 80 per cent of mobile phone sales in the rural markets and are now coming up with Fixed Wireless Devices and Wireless Data cards to provide end-to-end solutions in the telecommunication industry.

Pros: Fast growing,good marketing strategy,wide range suiting tastes of all entry level buyers at very low prices.

Cons: Most phones still come built with very tacky looking plastic cases,and tend to slow down and get sluggish after a period of time.

Karbonn

While everyone remembers them from being the official partner for the DLF-IPL this season,Karbonn was conceptualised as a joint venture by the UTL group from Bangalore and the Jaina Group in Delhi. The company is well known for dual Sim phones,and for offering a plethora of facilities like Bluetooth,Megapixel cameras,FM radios,Touchscreens all integrated into low-cost phones. While their K770,K443,KC 441 and the K460 models have dual Sim features,the K661 and K560 feature touchscreens. The K444 and K331 sell big on their promise of a long battery life.

Pros: High on features,reasonably cheap price tag.

Cons: Features still in nascent stage,will take some time to catch up with big players.

INQ

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Another foreign player that has made its presence felt in the Indian market,through a tie-up with Aircel is the UK-based INQ. Unlike its competitors,INQs USP is handsets most suited for social networking. CEO Frank Meehan says,There are many imitators. But INQ did it first,and does it best. This is the real deal. We believe the Indian youth want it all,and why not? They want an upmarket product,from a brand that understands their point of view,at a price that8217;s within their grasp. INQ,which has Indian cricket Captain M S Dhoni as the brand ambassador,was the first to develop a Facebook Phone which won it the Phone of the Year award at the GSM event in Barcelona last year. The INQ Mini 3G and the INQ Chat 3G have been launched in India in an exclusive tie-up with Aircel. Both phones offer one-touch access to many social networking sites,multitasking and a single button switching over from applications.

Pros: Slick features,well built,single-touch switching between applications.

Cons: Very new in the market,locked to a single service provider.

Olive

After launching their 3G netbook in collaboration with Tata Photon,Olive has brought to India a unique range of mobile phones. From phones that runs on pencil cells to the triple-Sim Olive Wiz,the first QWERTY keypad phone with two GSM slots and a dedicated CDMA slot,they have pretty much everything. Our endeavour is to keep working on technology and compete with the best in the world. We will be catering to consumer across categories and the phones accordingly would vary from feature phones to smart phones, says Arun Khanna,chairman,Olive Telecommunication. Khanna is aware of the various new players in the market,but adds that it eventually boils down to the technology and the Ramp;D that goes into making the handsets. There are a lot of devices that are available in the market that feature low performance chipsets with low processing speeds. Ironically,when a customer buys these devices at very low prices and uses them,he feels utterly disappointed at the performance. Eventually,the low pricing does not justify the end product.

Pros: Good Ramp;D,and unique features.

Cons: Looks can be improved.

Lava

Chandigarh-based Lava Mobile Phones too has its eyes set on sub-entry level market. Their recently launched Lava A9 is a dual Sim phone that features a 3.2 mega pixel camera,JAVA enabled games,a 2.4 inch TFT screen and advanced connectivity options with utility applications like Nimbuzz and Opera Mini,all for Rs 6,000. The next generation Internet user is redefining the way we use and experience the Net. Web blogs,uploading pictures and videos on sites where one can share and comment,swapping and remixing of playlists,photos,videos,search,shopping,news and now the phenomenon of online social networking are all new ways to explore the World Wide Web. This is something we are seriously looking into and want to expand into, says Praveen Srivastava,head,sales and marketing.

Pros: Greats features,styling for the price tag.

Cons: Lack of aggressive marketing.