WhatsApp isn’t the only messaging app that’s making a built-in impression on smartphones. Nimbuzz is also jumping on the bandwagon with the Reliance CG300, made by Haier.
The phone will go on sale starting today, July 26 in India according to info obtained via TNW and targets the low-end market at only $42 USD. With this in mind, it’s safe to say that those looking for a higher end experience on a smartphone had best stick to Android, Windows Phone, or iPhone. The phone will work on any mobile network in India.
The CG300 is powered by the J2ME platform and has a decidedly stale design: a QWERTY keyboard dominates the form factor and the phone itself is outlined in orange with a largely black body. It supports dual SIM cards, so users of global SIMs may consider it a viable option for international roaming. The big news, though is the fact that Nimbuzz comes pre-installed, with its own dedicated buttons, a major selling point to the app’s 25 million Indian users. One can’t help but see the installation of dedicated hardware buttons for apps as an almost standard practice for smartphones in the near future as messaging apps continue to replace text messaging and the smartphone market continues to grow in India.
Nimbuzz has certainly been busy over the last few months between deals with carriers and the eventual expansion to new services.
“Like carriers embracing messaging apps, we’re experimenting with ideas to see what kind of retention and engagement ratio we can drive,” Nimbuzz CEO Vikas Saxena said. “The idea is to remove any friction and make the service easy to access.”
Saxena also believes the device has the potential to sell “millions” of units, but it will be available exclusively to users in India. Which means if you live outside India and you want to get your hands on this device, for now you’ll just have to try and import.