Nokia Lumia coming to SA

Following the launch of the Nokia Lumia in the USA during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, Nokia has confirmed it will be available in South Africa from the first quarter of 2012, writes DONOVAN JACKSON.

If there is any indication that 2012 will be an exciting year for smartphones in South Africa it must be this: the all-new Nokia Lumia range will be coming to local shores very soon. Following the launch of the Lumia series during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, it has been confirmed that the Nokia Lumia 800 will be available in South Africa during the first quarter of 2012, with the Nokia Lumia 710 following soon after, early in the second quarter.

These devices represent the first fruits of the collaboration between Nokia and Microsoft, and another step in the transformation of Nokia’s portfolio.

‚Less than a year has passed since Nokia and Microsoft entered into an agreement targeted at building a new ‚ global ‚ mobile ecosystem, and it is great that we can bring these devices to South Africa so soon after they have started shipping in markets like the US and Europe,‚ says Nokia South Africa’s Leo McKay.

Based on the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango release, the Nokia Lumia smartphones are designed to appeal to people with active social lives, providing instant sharing and new signature Nokia experiences:

– Nokia Drive delivers a full-fledged personal navigation device (PND) experience with free turn-by-turn navigation, and dedicated in-car-user-interface.

-Nokia Music introduces MixRadio, a free, global, mobile music-streaming application that delivers 100s of channels of locally-relevant music.

‚The arrival of the Lumia range is a real landmark for Nokia in South Africa, and we are sure it well set the cat among the pigeons in the smartphone market locally.‚

More details on operators, packages, exact availability and pricing will be given at the end of January.

*