Nokia has introduced four new Series 40 smartphones. Breaking out under the new brand name of Nokia Asha, which is derived from the Hindi for 'Hope' these devices are set to reach out to the 'Next Billion'. Here we take a look at the Nokia Asha 300, Asha 200, Asha 201 and Asha 303 from the keynote at Nokia World 2011.
Nokia announced four new Symbian handsets and here are our notes from the show floor. Nokia produces 12 mobile phones a second, that's one million a day, primarily aimed at the emerging markets and high-growth economies. For these people, a mobile phone will be their first experience of the internet.
Stephen Elop asked 'Who is the next billion?' And judging from the Nokia research that's been carried out, the Next Billion user 'is a really young crowd in emerging markets. They see technology as a way to upgrade that life.'
What this means in the real world is that it's got to be affordable and easy to use, that's the driving force behind the words of Blanca Juti, Vice president of Mobile Phone Marketing, who went on to cover the new devices in detail. Here we'll pick out the key highlights of each device and bring you full hands-on as soon as w can.
Nokia Asha 300 has metallic shine and mat finishes, it has touch and a keyboard, making it only one swipe away from favourite apps. It has a very good 5-megapixel camera that can be instantly uploaded.
Nokia Asha 200 has attitude and comes with Easy Swap so you can readily swap out the SIM cards.
Nokia Asha 201 is 'equally punchy as the Asha 200' comes with What's App, as well as MP3 player. 52 hours of music playback, so you can start the party on Friday night and carry on until Monday morning.
Nokia Asha 303 comes with a QWERTY keyboard and a large capacity touchscreen, so you can read it under strong sunlight. The screen is the main focus of the device but the tactile keypad has a stylish finish, mirrored on the rest of the device. It ships with a 1GHz processor and comes with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity too, something still pretty rare on a S40 device.
Juti went on to ask 'is there anything else we can give?' Affordability and speed are critical, so a Nokia Browser means you can get a lot more done in less time, so saving them money on the move.
The message we were left with what that the line is blurring between smartphones and mobile devices. The attention to detail on even the most affordable device is the key to these phones and Nokia is clearly leading the way both in terms of innovation and price point.
Looking forward to getting your hands on the new Nokia Asha Series 40 phones? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments below.