Social networking is the latest buzzword in cellphone circles, and mobile manufacturers are scrambling to offer the service to the ‘young and connected’ crowd

Social Networking

Just when we thought cellphones have pretty much reached the end of their tether as far as functions go — cameras, mails, music, office suites, widgets, browsers, calls, texts, multimedia editing — they seem to have sprung a surprise. Cellphones are turning out to be devices facilitating social networking. And this, in turn, has spawned a new genre of cellphones — one that is designed to keep users connected not just to the mobile network and the odd website or e-mail account, but to all their social networks as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the era of the social network phone. Be it established players like LG, Sony Ericsson, HTC or Samsung, or relative newcomers like INQ and Micromax, this is a segment that is witnessing new product launches almost every other day, with high-profile ad campaigns — of the likes of LG Cookie Pep, the INQ Chat 3G and the Micromax Facebook phone — to boot.

Tech pundits will raise their eyebrows at this category of cellphones, claiming that users have been able to access their social networks on their handsets for a while now. Be it updates on Facebook accounts, new pics uploaded on Flickr or the latest video doing the rounds on YouTube, users have been able to keep track of it all on their handsets for a few years now. Most social networks have mobile versions, so you may well wonder what all the fuss is about.

BUILDING A NETWORK

Aircel COO Gurdeep Singh summed up the essence of social networking phones when he described the recently launched INQ chat phones as “devices which, are built with the internet at the core for a new generation with a different attitude to communication. That means a never-before, rich and authentic Facebook, Twitter and e-mail experience.”

And that is what makes this new breed of cellphones different from the routine “download a social networking app and run it” type of handset. Most of these newcomers have special features dedicated to social networks, be it a dedicated Facebook button as seen on the Micromax Q5 FB (‘FB’ standing for ‘Facebook’), special social network widgets on the LG Cookie Pep, a unified messaging and contacts option that lets you post to social networks as easily as you send an SMS, and keeps all your contacts (mobile and social networks) in one place as seen in the INQ Chat 3G, or a homescreen dedicated to fetch updates from your social networks on the Motorola Backflip. And in keeping with the largely young audience they are targeted at, these mobiles are attractively designed and come in dazzling colours. The INQ Chat 3G even comes with switchable backplates.

With the number of online social network users rising, there is a growing demand for phones with social networking features. Social networking has provided a platform for exchanging ideas without restriction on a global basis. Porting this characteristic to your mobile phone makes it easier and more convenient for people to be avid social networkers.

Samsung prefers to refer to social network-friendly phones as “messaging phones”, but its aim is the same — to keep the user connected to social networks. These phones provide users access to various networking sites, quick links to these sites through widgets, boast of fast connectivity and expandable memory space to store data and content. They offer users instant chat, messenger, and e-mail features and help them integrate and manage contacts easily. And to facilitate easy messaging, they have the Qwerty feature.

EASY ON THE POCKET

Another characteristic of many of these social networking phones is their relatively low price tag. Most of them offer features like touchscreens, Qwerty keypads and cameras without costing the earth. The Micromax Facebook phone comes for about Rs 4,000, the INQ Chat 3G for as little as Rs 7,300, the LG Cookie Zap for Rs 7,500, while the Corby Plus is just a touch over four figures — prices that are well below those of most smartphones. And yet these phones are able to hold their own against much more powerful and expensive smartphones when it comes to social networking. Suddenly, tech specs have been rendered largely irrelevant as users look for options to stay connected with minimum fuss.

It is becoming increasingly clear that what was perhaps once the privilege of those who could afford a top-end smartphone has now started making itself felt in the sub Rs 10,000 price band. The market is only going to get more competitive and only those that can provide a killer user experience will succeed. And that secret sauce is not in the hardware, but in the software.

HERE TO STAY

Although they have only recently started to make their presence felt in India, indications are that social network phones are going to be around for a while. With many organisations banning the use of social network sites on office computers, a large number of social network users are turning to their handsets to stay connected. While this would have necessitated using a high-end phone with an expensive data plan a few months ago, today this is possible at a fraction of the cost, thanks to the arrival of relatively inexpensive social network phones, coupled with data plans that are lower than Rs 100 a month for unlimited internet browsing on a handset (both Airtel and Aircel have such plans).

Peek’s Mangharam calls this trend “an acknowledgement by the mobile ecosystem, operators, device manufacturers, VAS providers etc, that social networking is now a mainstream activity and that there is a tremendous opportunity here”. And unlike some pundits, he feels that social networking apps on the cellphone actually discourages users. “Downloading an app, be it for social networking or for enabling e-mail, leads to a tremendous drop in adoption,” he explains. “Ease of setup and use is currently grossly underestimated as the killer app for phones and those companies that can offer a totally integrated experience on social networking or e-mail will stand the best chance of success.”

Samsung’s Yadav, however, feels that apps are going to be way ahead. “Consumers want more applications that they can download on their phones and customise. So newer versions of social networking phones are giving them these applications,” he points out.

Be it the app way or the integrated route, it seems social networking phones are here to stay.