Nokia is launching a new Asha smartphone with a suggested price of $US99 ( £64).
The Asha 501 would be the first device to run on Nokia’s new Asha platform, the Finnish company said. This platform gave developers an open, standards-based environment for app creation, meaning apps created for the 501 would be compatible with future Asha devices, as well as enabling developers to sell wares through the Nokia Store and more.
The EA Games, Facebook and Twitter apps had been tailored for the new Asha generation, the company said with more to come, and the various HERE basic mapping functions would also be available for download for the new budget smartphone, it said.
Available in the United Kingdom from the third quarter, the phone would come loaded with the Xpress Browser, which compressed Internet data to make mobile browsing faster and cheaper, and a new launched feature called ‘Fastlane’, which showed recently used apps, contacts and social networks.
Nokia global wireless practice strategy analytics executive director Neil Mawston said the company had surpassed expectations of what was achievable in the sub-$US100 phone category. The handset took design cues from the Lumia series and was an upgrade option from feature phones.
The break down
The device would be available in single or dual SIM models, with Wifi and would measure 99.2 x58 mm, at 12.1mm thick and a very light 91g.
It would come with three inch touch screen and a 3.2MP camera and with 128MB internal storage and ships with a 4GB micro SD card in the box, and be available in six colours.
Available through about 60 operators in more than 90 countries, the suggested pricing is $US99.
