Low cost phones have many features, but cannot be used

VietNamNet Bridge – A lot of low cost mobile phone models have been advertised as having been integrated with many modern features. However, in fact, the features of connecting the community cannot be used.

Low cost mobile phones are referred to the mobile phones with the sale prices of less than 1.5 million dong. The manufacturers commit that though the products are cheap, they still have integrated applications which can meet the requirements of modern people, such as searching on Google, chatting via Yahoo and sending and receiving mails.

Advertised features sound good

Not all low cost mobile phones have the above said integrated applications. Manufacturers will decide which applications to be integrated into their products which target different classes of customers. However, most low cost products by both foreign and domestic manufacturers have been advertised as having the capability to work on websites.

The cheapest mobile phone model which allows to access Facebook or Yahoo is Gionee N110, which has the sale price at 699,000 dong. MobiStar @83 has been introduced as allowing users to chat on Yahoo, Google Talk, Skype. It also has Opera mini website browser, sold at 990,000 dong.

Higher class models in the low cost product segment include the ones manufactured by Samsung and LG. Samsung C3303, for example, which is sold at 1.39 million dong; allows users to access Facebook and Google. Meanwhile, it is accessible to Facebook, Twitter with LG Wink C100 (1.35 million dong). The users of F-Mobile B750 (1.26 million dong) have been told that they can chat with Vitalk application (an application designed by FPT’s Visky). With Lenovo i350 (1.39 million dong), users can read ebooks and the documents with “.txt”.

…but cannot be used in reality

By launching the low cost models, manufacturers target the young clients, who want to surf on Internet, connect each other on social networks, or chat, but do not have much money to pay for high class products.

The problem is that while the products have tested before launching into the market, or when they perform before the audience, the applications can run well on low cost mobile phone models. However, in reality, very few people say they can use the introduced features.

Quang, a student of the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanity, who is using a Samsung C3303, said he can only use the mobile phone for receiving and making calls, sending SMS or listening to music. One time, Quang did not bring laptop with himself to the lecture hall, he tried to use the mobile phone to access to Google to seek documents, but he failed, even though he registered the GPRS (2,5G) service by VinaPhone.

Vinh from Gia Lai province also complained that though the MobiStar @83 he is using has Opera mini website browser, he has never been able to access websites. “The browser still runs, but when trying to access Google, the phone does not work. I cannot understand why manufacturers still try to integrate applications, even though they cannot be used,” he said.

FPT, when launching the first model which bears F99 brand, stated that the mobile phone allows to connect websites, but people say they cannot access to websites. The representative from P&T Mobile has confirmed that MobiStar @83 is only good at chatting, though with slow speed. The Opera mini browser also can work, but it can work only in some places and sometimes.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Quang Minh, Director of ABTel, which owns Q-Mobile brand, said that ABTel’s phones still can work well, but mobile network operators have blocked the access to some addresses.

“People should blame on “objective reasons”, not on the mobile phones,” he said.

NTB, an experienced person in the applications on mobile phones, said that manufacturers try to provide integrated applications simply because they want to boost sales. “They well understand that it is nearly impossible for the mobile phones with low configuration, small screen and low resolution to access to Facebook or websites,” B said.

Source: SGTT