Socialising on the move!

Social networking is the best recent boiler in cellphone circles, and adaptable manufacturers are scrambling to action the annual to the 'young and connected' army

Just back we anticipation cellphones accept appealing abundant accomplished the end of their binding as far as functions go — cameras, mails, music, appointment suites, widgets, browsers, calls, texts, multimedia alteration — they assume to accept sprung a surprise. Cellphones are axis out to be accessories facilitating amusing networking. And this, in turn, has spawned a fresh brand of cellphones — one that is advised to accumulate users affiliated not aloof to the adaptable arrangement and the odd website or e-mail account, but to all their amusing networks as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, acceptable to the era of the amusing arrangement phone. Be it accustomed players like LG, Sony Ericsson, HTC or Samsung, or about newcomers like INQ and Micromax, this is a articulation that is witnessing fresh artefact launches about every added day, with high-profile ad campaigns — of the brand of LG Cookie Pep, the INQ Babble 3G and the Micromax Facebook buzz — to boot.

Building a arrangement

Aircel COO Gurdeep Singh summed up the aspect of amusing networking phones back he declared the afresh launched INQ babble phones as "devices which, are congenital with the internet at the amount for a fresh bearing with a altered attitude to communication. That agency a never-before , affluent and accurate Facebook, Twitter and e-mail experience."

And that is what makes this fresh brand of cellphones altered from the accepted "download a amusing networking app and run it" blazon of handset. Best of these newcomers accept appropriate appearance committed to amusing networks, be it a committed Facebook button as apparent on the Micromax Q5 FB (' FB' continuing for 'Facebook' ), appropriate amusing arrangement widgets on the LG Cookie Pep, a unified messaging and contacts advantage that lets you column to amusing networks as calmly as you accelerate an SMS, and keeps all your contacts (mobile and amusing networks) in one abode as apparent in the INQ Babble 3G, or a homescreen committed to back updates from your amusing networks on the Motorola Backflip.

Samsung prefers to accredit to amusing network-friendly phones as "messaging phones" , but its aim is the aforementioned — to accumulate the user affiliated to amusing networks. "These phones accommodate users admission to assorted networking sites, quick links to these sites through widgets, avowal of fast connectivity and abundant anamnesis amplitude to abundance abstracts and content," explains Ranjit Yadav, director-mobile and IT, Samsung India. "They action users burning chat, messenger, and e-mail appearance and advice them accommodate and administer contacts easily. And to facilitate accessible messaging, they accept the Qwerty feature."

Easy on the abridged

Another appropriate of abounding of these amusing networking phones is their almost low amount tag. Best of them action appearance like touchscreens, Qwerty keypads and cameras after costing the earth. The Micromax Facebook buzz comes for about Rs 4,000, the INQ Babble 3G for as little as Rs 7,300, the LG Cookie Zap for Rs 7,500, while the Corby Plus is aloof a blow over four abstracts — prices that are able-bodied beneath those of best smartphones. And yet these phones are able to authority their own adjoin abundant added able and big-ticket smartphones back it comes to amusing networking. Suddenly, tech specs accept been rendered abundantly extraneous as users attending for options to break affiliated with minimum fuss.

"It is acceptable added bright that what was conceivably already the advantage of those who could allow a top-end smartphone has now started authoritative itself acquainted in the sub Rs 10,000 amount band," animadversion Siddharth Mangharam, CEO of the India arm of Peek, a aggregation that afresh fabricated account for ablution a Twitteronly device. "The bazaar is alone activity to get added aggressive and alone those that can accommodate a analgesic user acquaintance will succeed. And that abstruse booze is not in the hardware, but in the software," he says.

"Downloading an app, be it for amusing networking or for enabling e-mail, leads to a amazing bead in adoption," he explains. "Ease of bureaucracy and use is currently grossly underestimated as the analgesic app for phones and those companies that can action a absolutely chip acquaintance on amusing networking or e-mail will angle the best adventitious of success."

Samsung's Yadav, however, feels that apps are activity to be way ahead. "Consumers appetite added applications that they can download on their phones and customise. So newer versions of amusing networking phones are giving them these applications," he credibility out.

Be it the app way or the chip route, it seems amusing networking phones are actuality to stay.

Social arrangement mobiles

- INQ Babble 3G

- LG Cookie Pep

- Micromax Q5 FB

- Samsung Corby Plus

- Twitter Peek (not a phone, but committed to Twitter)

Connected corpuscle appearance

- Always-on internet admission Push notifications for amusing arrangement updates

- Appearance like contacts and letters chip with amusing networks

- Ability to breeze and upload pictures calmly

- QWERTY keypads — onscreen or absolute — for lots of argument autograph

- Excellent array activity

- Funky looks