Nokia’s MWC press conference today has been all about their latest Android smartphones but the Finnish company also announced a couple of other budget phones, the Asha 230 and Nokia 220.
Nokia Asha 230
Talking about the more interesting of the two, the Nokia Asha 230. The device runs an updated version of the Asha OS which was first introduced with the Asha 501 last year. The new Asha OS v1.4 brings new features such as ‘voice-guided’ selfie shots and Microsoft services like OneDrive (the new name for SkyDrive), Bing search in the Nokia Xpress browser and Nokia’s MiixRadio service too. The new updated Asha OS will be available as an update for the Asha 501, 500, 502 and 503 which is great considering manufacturers rarely bring any updates to their feature phones.
The Asha 230 is the most affordable Asha touchscreen device, it comes with a 2.8-inch QVGA (240×320) display and supports microSD expansion upto 32 gigs. There’s a 1.3 MP camera on the rear and the device comes with a 1020 mAh battery. Nokia has pre-loaded a host of apps on the Asha 230 like Facebook, Twitter, LINE, WhatsApp, and WeChat and online HERE Maps, while ten games can be downloaded free of charge from the Nokia Store. Connectivity options include GSM, 2G, Bluetooth 3.0 and USB support.
The Asha 230 is priced at 45 euros making it Rs. 3,900 approx and it will be available in a slew of colors: Black, White, Cyan, Yellow, Bright Green and Bright Red.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mJMm0t-C7Wg
Nokia 220
Coming to the Nokia 220, it is a feature phone which Nokia claims is the “most affordable data phone to date”. It comes with a 2.4-inch colour screen, Alphanumeric keypad, a 2-megapixel camera and up to 32GB microSD card support. Connectivity options include 2G, Bluetooth 3.0 and USB. There’s a 1100 mAh battery which should be pretty great.
The Nokia 220 comes with six games pre-installed namely Asphalt 6 Adrenaline, Assassin Creed, Block Breaker 3, Brain Challenge 3 and Modern Combat 2. Popular apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, LINE and WeChat are also installed.
Nokia 220 is priced at 29 euros which makes it Rs. 2,500 approx sans taxes and the device will be available in Black, White, Cyan, Red and Yellow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VL5-RdMnVDQ
Both the devices will also have a dual-SIM variant which should hit the stores soon. They are already listed on the official Nokia store in India which means they should be available soon.
