BLU is an up-and-coming smartphone manufacturer offering budget-friendly devices that have a knack for also being halfway decent. Today they've announced a new line of smartphones that look situated to continue this trend. The DASH series won't blow anyone's minds, but these highly affordable, and dare I say - adorable, handsets could make for a decent way to introduce a newcomer to the world of smartphones.

The three phones making up the DASH series include the DASH Jr., the DASH MUSIC 4.0, and the DASH MUSIC 5.0. The DASH Jr. costs only $49.00 unlocked and comes with specs that match its insanely low price point. Buyers get a phone with a 1GHz processor, a 3.5-inch HVGA display, a 1000mAh battery, and a measly 512 MB of internal memory. On the software side, it's running Android 2.3. Yes, Gingerbread, in 2013.

Things get better from here. The DASH MUSIC 4.0 has a 1.3GHz dual-core processor, a 4-inch WVGA display, a 1500mAh battery, and 4GB of internal memory. It comes with Android 4.2 and costs just $99.00 unlocked. The DASH MUSIC 5.0 comes with the same internal specs but offers a 5-inch FWVGA display and a 2000mAh battery for just $30 more.

These are immensely affordable devices, and while I wouldn't even give Junior a DASH JR in this day and age, it could still possibly make for a good throwaway device to install CheapCast or Cast To UPnP/DLNA for GMusic on. Expect this device to appear on store shelves in the US before the end of September, and it will also become available in 30 countries throughout Latin America.

Source: BLU Products