Inline with the announcement that the telecom operator made during its last earnings call, Idea Cellular has launched self-branded, low cost Android smartphones in its effort to drive 3G usage. The two handsets, Idea Blade and Idea ID 280, will be available across all major Indian cities and will be bundled with a 3G data and mobile TV package, effectively bringing the cost of the handsets close to feature phones. While the Idea Blade will be available at an MRP of Rs 7992, the ID 280 has been priced at Rs 5850. According to the company, it will offer a special 3G data package worth Rs 3500, if the customer chooses to pay Rs 259 in addition to the handset cost, making the effective price as low as Rs 2609. The package will include free subscription to Idea TV for 3 months, 1 GB of data download per month for 3 months, 3G Double Dhamaka benefits for 6 months, and Talktime of Rs 25 and will be available for both prepaid and postpaid users. Handset specs: The smartphones are based on Android 2.2 and also sport a 3.2 MP Camera, Touchscreen (3.5” & 2.8” Screen size), GPS Navigation software, FM radio and MP3 Player, WiFi, Bluetooth, Social Media Apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, Operamini web browser, and pre-loaded Google and Youtube, besides acces to Idea TV. The handset devices can also operate as a Wi-Fi router. According to AndroidOS.in, the handsets are essentially rebranded versions of the ZTE Blade,…
