BARCELONA, Spain – Wow. This week at Mobile World Congress has been amazing. Nokia has announced some jaw-dropping products at MWC in the form of phones, services and Nokia Gear. The week began with spectacular launches and ended with a best in show award. You really sensed from their presence at Barcelona MWC that Nokia is delivering amazing mobile experiences around the world through a comprehensive range of phones at prices to suit everyone. So here’s your guide to a memorable four days at the Fira MWC convention centre.
The show marked a year in the new relationship with Microsoft and the products at the booth were evidence that Nokia has increased its “internal clock-speed” or ability to turnaround amazing products in a much shorter time.
The newest addition to the Nokia Lumia family is the Nokia Lumia 610 – the most affordable Nokia Lumia to date. It has a 3.7-inch touchscreen and is perfect for people looking to enter the smartphone market on a budget.
CNET Asia like this new, affordable Nokia Lumia 610. Here’s what they had to say: “Thanks to its vibrant colors, the Lumia 610 will also probably be a very attractive proposition for young consumers, especially after telco subsidies”.
The Nokia Lumia 610
The Nokia Lumia 900
Also, the Nokia Lumia 900 is no longer confined to the United States. It’s now going to be available to many other places across the world.
But, without doubt, the star of the show was the Nokia 808 PureView. It’s no wonder, really. It’s a Nokia Belle powered phone that packs a 41-megapixel camera. Yes, you read that correctly. 41. But it’s not all about taking enormous photos, though, but instead packing more pixels into one traditional pixel, using oversampling techniques. This creates a “pure” pixel.
CNN had something to say about the Nokia 808 PureView: “The 41-megapixels put the phone in the same league – in terms of photo resolution – as professional cameras costing thousands of dollars”.
Nokia’s imaging expert, Damian Dinning talks to us about the Nokia 808 PureView. With such an advancement in technology, he explains exactly how PureView works.
In terms of services, Nokia Reading opens a new chapter with the idea that you can enjoy your favourite author on your Nokia Lumia phone anytime and anywhere you like.
Nokia and Microsoft’s Bing Maps team have been working closely together to perfect the mapping experience on your computer and your Nokia Lumia phone.
The colour palette has been reduced, there are now fewer intrusive objects, icons and signs. This simplification aims to eliminate confusion when you’re trying to see where you are going.
The Bing Maps Blog also covers the news on the unified map design, if you’d like a different perspective.
While those Nokia Maps changes mentioned above have started to take place, there are some other changes that are expected to happen in the coming weeks.
Nokia Maps for Nokia Lumia will include the ability to add favourite places, share routes via SMS or social networks, and the colour palette will be reduced, too, to match those changes made to the online version.
Nokia Drive will get full offline support, a newly designed dashboard showing speed limits and ETAs, plus more. And the Public Transport beta app is now available from Nokia Beta Labs, too, for those who prefer to travel via train, tram or bus.
Let’s not forget Nokia Life, an SMS-based service that has so far provided help for more than 50 million people in China, Indonesia, India and Nigeria.
It can help a lot, from telling you how to learn English, giving pregnancy advice, acquiring life skills and sitting exams. It’s the kind of stuff people would be looking for, if they were connected to the Internet. So for people in that position, Nokia Life is seen as invaluable.
In terms of connecting the next billion of mobile users, the new Nokia Asha 302, Nokia Asha 203 and Nokia Asha 202 will certainly help to achieve that goal. The additions to the range include a Dual SIM handset and QWERTY keypad phone. All have simple key features. And all of these phones are affordable and functional.
The Nokia Asha 302
The Nokia Asha 203
The Nokia Asha 202
Nokia has launched two really cool new accessories this week. The new Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-221 is bright, bold and beautiful. It’s a headset with a difference, with a built-in FM radio which means you won’t have to drain power from your phone to listen to your favourite show. Plus, the built-in OLED display shows you exactly what station you’re currently tuned to.
The next piece of Nokia Gear is the Nokia DC-16, a portable back-up charging stick. If you’re ever out-and-about and can’t find somewhere to plug your phone in to charge, just use this. With an extremely long standby time, the Nokia DC-16 means you never have to run out of charge again.
So, there it is. A pretty comprehensive performance from Nokia offering something for everyone all over the world. What did you like the most this week? We’re finding it hard to pick just one.
Image credit: MobileWorldCongress.com