BIC, the French purveyor of billions of lighters, pens and razors, recently launched the anti-iPhone. No waiting in line, no activation, no costly plans and no frills whatsoever. BIC phones, which retail at EUR 49 and come in orange and green versions, are ready to go: the battery is charged, SIM card installed and the phone comes with 10 talk minutes that are valid without registering with network provider Orange. Once the 10 minutes are up, customers can activate with Orange for a further 50 free minutes, and can buy top-up cards for more talk time.
BIC/Orange stress that this isn't a disposable phone, more of a back-up phone for households to use when an extra, dedicated line might be useful—when selling a car or an apartment, for example. We can also see these selling well at airports, for travellers who want a local phone to avoid roaming charges, and want to be able to use it immediately without first having to charge or activate. Which makes for a good vending machine opportunity: set up machines near gate exits at Charles de Gaulle.
Website: www.bicworld.com
Spotted by: RK
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Also seems handy for criminals!
Yes, anyone who's watched The Wire will have immediately thought BIC phones would make good burners ;-)
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=burner
I just spend $6.44 on a phone for my son. Comes with 10 minutes air, I can buy addional minutes...same thing 50Euros is 75 $ pretty steep for that. Not a bad idea -heck, I bought it.
Just another BIC product to throw in the bin? What happens at end-of-(shortish) life? BIC has an appalling record and after disposable pens and razors we now have phones with no obvious attempt to address the environmental or sustainability issues; avoid these like the plague they are!
Thanks for your comment, Brendan. But I think it's too easy to vilify a product like this. Consumers buy new fridges before the old ones break down, or they get another printer because it's so convenient. And then there's driving and flying and eating meat... So it's not fair to pick on just one item because it seems disposable. Also, the phone doesn't have a particularly short life, and there's no reason to throw it in the bin -- it can be recharged and reused like any other phone. In that sense, it's probably the most sustainable product BIC has made so far ;-)
Great just what we need, throw away phones.