Nokia Asha arrives to blur the line

Last night Nokia announced the availability of the Asha range of handsets, designed to blur the lines between feature phones and smartphones.

Nokia last night announced the local availability of the Nokia Asha QWERTY range. The Nokia Asha 303, Nokia Asha 201 and the Nokia Asha 302 blur the line between smartphones and feature phones offering a great QWERTY (Asha 201 and 302) and QWERTY and touch (Asha 303) experience, combined with fast and easy access to the Internet, integrated social networking, messaging and world-class applications from the Nokia Store.

“Consumers are calling out for the right mix of style and substance,”” says Colin Baumgart, General Manager, Nokia South Africa. “”We want to deliver phones that look great, but also give the richest possible experience in calling, texting or browsing the Web. We believe that ‘QWERTY’ is not just a feature, but a movement of expression that opens up communications in different communities, and that is why we are calling on consumers to join ‘The QWERTY Movement.'””

Nokia Asha 303 The Nokia Asha 303 is designed with sophisticated materials and metallic finishes, combining a large 2.6″” capacitive touch screen with a high quality QWERTY keypad. The device uses a powerful 1 GHz processor, 3G (HSPA) and WLAN to deliver a fast Internet experience. Social networks, email and instant messaging are at the centre of the experience, easily accessible from the home screen. Entertainment and applications are also a core part of the Nokia Asha 303 offering. Angry Birds Lite comes preinstalled on the phone. The estimated retail price of the Nokia Asha 303 is R1799.

Nokia Asha 201 The Nokia Asha 201 is ideal for young consumers who wish to stay socially connected, are price conscious and like listening to music. The Nokia Asha 201 has great music features including a high performing loudspeaker, enhanced stereo FM radio and ringtone tuning. It supports up to 32 GB memory cards and provides a battery for 52 hours of music playback time. The Nokia Asha 201 also supports push email as well as the popular messaging app WhatsApp. The estimated retail price for the Nokia Asha 201 is R999.

Nokia Asha 302 The Nokia Asha 302 is Nokia’s first Series 40 phone to support Mail for Exchange, giving people access to their emails, contacts and calendar on an exchange server. That and a stylish QWERTY keyboard make it ideal for small business owners and professionals seeking a beautifully designed phone perfect for working on the move. Additionally, the Nokia Asha 302 connects to popular social networks and enables chatting through Whatsapp and other IM services. The Nokia Asha 302 is powered by a 1-GHz processor and supports 3.5G data speeds and WLAN. Great multimedia capabilities including a 3.2 MP camera, enhanced stereo FM radio, a music player as well as up to 32 GB memory card support. The estimated retail price for the Nokia Asha 302 is R1399.

Nokia Web Browser and Apps Nokia Asha mobile phones make use of the new Nokia Web browser for Series 40 with up to 90% data compression. This means smaller downloads, lower data charges, pages that load fast, look great, and are easy to read on any mobile phone. It also provides personalized start pages with quick access to your favourite content, and the browser finds the most popular content for your specific region.

Another key element of the Nokia Asha consumer experience is the easy access to great global and local content and applications available for download from the Nokia Store. Applications such as Facebook Chat, Nimbuzz and Whatsapp ensure you can join the QWERTY movement and express yourself through multiple channels. We are also proud of the many locally relevant apps available with the Asha range of devices including MXit and Zoopy.

Estimated retail pricing including local taxes: Nokia Asha 201: ZAR 999 Nokia Asha 302: ZAR 1399 Nokia Asha 303: ZAR 1799

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