JioPhone gets Facebook as its first third-party app; rollout begins today

The app has been designed from scratch to work on KaiOS, the default operating system that comes loaded with the Reliance JioPhone

Reliance JioPhone , India’s first 4G-enabled feature phone, is all set to receive the Facebook app officially on February 14. The app has been designed from scratch to work on KaiOS, the default operating system that comes loaded with the Reliance JioPhone.

"We are excited about our partnership with Jio and the opportunity to provide the best possible Facebook experience for millions of people using JioPhone. Working with partners like Jio, we want to make sure everyone, everywhere has the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of being connected," said Francisco Varela, vice-president of Mobile Partnerships, Facebook.

From today, the existing and new customers of JioPhone could download the Facebook app from JioAppStore. The app supports timeline view, push notifications and video playback capabilities.

For a non-touch device, the Facebook app on JioPhone supports cursor function to access News Feed and photos.

"JioPhone is the world's most affordable smartphone built with transformational technology especially for Indians to migrate from a feature phone to a smartphone. As promised, JioPhone will be home to the world's leading applications, starting with Facebook. Jio, the world's largest mobile data network, is built to empower every Indian with the power of data and JioPhone is an integral part of this Jio movement," said Akash Ambani, director, Reliance Jio.

The JioPhone will come with pre-loaded Jio apps for messaging and entertainment. The phone can be connected with television sets via TV Cable accessory for watching live TV using the Jio TV app.

JioPhone effect: Idea to launch 4G-enabled feature phone at Rs 2,500

We have no intention to subsidise handsets, said Himanshu Kapania, Managing Director Idea Cellular

Faced with the latest challenge of ultra-cheap 4G feature phone from Reliance Jio, Idea Cellular on July 28 said it is working with handset makers to bring down the cost of handsets.

However, the Aditya Birla Group company, set to be merged with bigger rival Vodafone, made it clear that it will not subsidise handsets.

Indian Companies News : "The practical solution that we are working on is to work with the handset industry and work with them to be able to bring down cost of handsets by bringing down the bill of material, so that the gap of the announced price of Jio feature phone versus a smart-phone can be brought down to reasonable levels," its Managing Director Himanshu Kapania told analysts.

Kapania said the ideal price point for a handset will be Rs 2,500.

In the past, the telecom operators had worked with handset makers when they were challenged by the then Reliance Infocomm's cheaper handsets, he noted.

"Given the fact that this (Jio announcement) has happened, and it is going to be distributed in large volumes, our belief is that we need to work with the handset industry and introduce similar phones in the marketplace," he said.

This will be an "affordable phone" which will allow customers the choice of dual SIM, selection of 2G and 4G networks, signing up with telecom operators of choice and to use applications of choice, he said.

There will be extensive market research on the number of features that can be brought down, operating system and whether it should have touchscreen, among others, he said. Read more

Jio disruption: Feature phone to cost Rs 0 with Rs 1,500 refundable deposit

Jio feature phone offered free voice, SMS, unlimited data at Rs 153/month

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Friday held its 40th AGM or annual general meeting for shareholders today, at Birla Matushri Sabhagar in Mumbai. During the event, Reliance announced the launch of its 4G feature phone. Along with that the telco has announced its cable TV device. The JioPhone will be available for free but buyers will have to deposit a fee of Rs 1500 which will be refundable after three years. This means the phone will be available at an effective price of zero.

The phone, targeted at 50 crore feature phone users in the country, will be available for pre-booking from August 24 on payment of a refundable security deposit of Rs 1,500.

Indian Companies News : This deposit will be refunded after 36 months on return of the phone, he said, adding that the price of the phone will be "effective zero".

He used the occasion to introduce his twin children, Akash and Isha, who presented the phone features that include calls and text messaging on voice command, Internet surfing and cable to connect the device to TV to view content, including videos.

Also Read :

• Jio disruption: Feature phone to cost Rs 0 with Rs 1,500 refundable deposit
• RIL AGM: Mukesh Ambani announces 1 bonus share for every 1 share held
• Reliance unveils zero cost 4G phone, aims to further disrupt telecom sector

"JioPhone will make the 2G feature phone obsolete," Ambani claimed, adding that the company is looking to bring 5 million phones to the market a week.

The JioPhone will be available for user testing in beta mode from August 15 and for pre-booking from August 24.

"Reliance democratised the equity culture in the past. Now, Jio will democratise the digital culture in India," he asserted. "Digital Life will no longer be the privilege of the affluent few."

Out of the 78 crore phones in India, Ambani said, 50 crore are feature phones that cannot be used for Internet or data usage. The new phone would give "affordable" device to these 50 crore users and "end the digital exclusion in India". Read more full article.