We know that many of you can’t wait to get your hands on the new Nokia Asha 501. This colourful and stylish device is an innovative affordable smartphone that is as delightful to use, as it is beautiful to look at.

Setting up the contacts tends to be one of the first tasks that we attend to, whenever we get a new phone. Sometimes this can be a tiresome process but it’s an absolute doddle on the Asha 501.

So, if you’re in two minds about getting an Asha 501 because you’re afraid it might be too much trouble to transfer the contacts from your current phone, then you can lay that fear to rest.

There are a variety of ways you can add and transfer contacts to your Asha 501. They are all extremely straightforward, quick to do and spare you the hassle of manually inputting dozens of contacts individually.

Here’s a quick summary of each method.

Bluetooth

Using Bluetooth, I transferred over 200 contacts from a Nokia Asha 308 to a new Nokia Asha 501 in less than a minute. This works with any Bluetooth device and the end result is brilliant – the names, numbers and emails were all transferred perfectly.

First, you need to make sure that both devices, the Asha 501 and the other phone, have Bluetooth turned on.

• If you have no contacts stored, then just tap ‘Copy Contacts > Another device’

• If you already have some contacts, swipe up from the bottom to bring up the menu, select ‘Copy contacts > Import to phone > Another device’

The Bluetooth pairing process begins immediately, so make sure both devices are close to each other. You’ll also need to give both devices permission to connect and be asked to confirm that a specific code matches. Once the pairing is complete, all the contacts will be transferred automatically – like magic.

Android devices

Using this Bluetooth method is also probably the best and easiest way of transferring contacts from an existing Android device to your new Asha 501.

If you prefer, here are some alternatives using free Android apps:

Android: You can use Bluetooth File Transfer to transfer all sorts of files between two devices but it’s also a great and easy way of sending contacts. Pair up your Android phone and the Asha 501 as normal.

Then, bring up Bluetooth File Transfer’s ‘more’ menu by pressing the phone’s hardware key. Select the ‘send contacts’ option and you’ll then be able to transfer individual contacts or all of them to your Asha 501.

Sending individual contacts

Android: It’s also easy to send individual contact details to your Asha if you only want to make minor updates to your phonebook. Open the contact you want to share, tap the menu button, and then press ‘Send contact. It’s easiest to pick ‘Messaging’ from the list, but you can also choose from other options like ‘Email’ and ‘Bluetooth’.

iPhone: The iPhone also offers the ability to send contacts via text message: Simply open the contact you want to send on your iPhone, scroll down and press ‘Share contact’. Choose ‘Message’, and then type in your new phone number. Once the message pops up on your Nokia Asha, simply open it and pick ‘Save’.

SIM card

Many people still store contacts on their SIM cards and, when you think about it, this is actually a very good way of doing it.

If you’re using the same SIM in a new phone, you get to keep the same number so it makes sense that you’d want to have the same contacts too.

This is especially relevant if you have the Easy-Swap Dual-SIM version of the Nokia Asha 501. You could have a personal SIM and a SIM for work, with different contacts on each.

To import contacts from a SIM card:

• If you have no contacts stored, tap ‘Copy Contacts > SIM1/SIM2’ (you might also have given your SIM a name)

• If you already have some contacts, swipe up from the bottom to bring up the menu, select ‘Copy contacts > import to phone > SIM1/SIM2’

That’s it – the transfer process starts as soon as you select the SIM card that you want to import the contacts from.

vCard files

The Asha 501 allows you to import and export your contacts as vCards (.vcf) – a common standard for electronic business cards.

If you’ve saved your contacts as a file on a desktop computer (most email providers and programmes allow you to export all your contacts as a .vcf file), then you need to get this file on your Asha 501 – this is where the mini-SD card comes in useful!

Again, the route is through ‘Copy contacts > Import to phone > Files.’ Navigate to where the file has been saved on your phone, and select it.

You’ll see the message “Start importing contacts to your phone?” Select Yes and you’re done!

Likewise, to export your contacts on your Asha 501 (always handy to have just in case) go to ‘Copy contacts > Export from phone’ and select a location – you can choose a folder on the phone or save it on a SIM card.

Accounts

A lot of our information is now stored and linked with our social networks and the Asha 501 enables you to sync photos and details of your friends on services such as Twitter and Facebook to your contacts.

To do this, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, select ‘Accounts’ and then the + icon at the bottom. You’ll need to login to your Nokia account and then also your social network account.

You’ll have options to sync all friends, sync with existing contacts or not to sync at all. Even if you’ve got all your contacts stored on the Asha 501 already, this is a really quick and easy way of adding photos to your friends’ contact information.

Managing your contacts

Of course, every now and again, as you meet new friends and colleagues, you will also have to add a new contact from scratch. To do this just swipe up and select ‘Add new contact.’

No matter where you are transferring the information from, managing your contacts on the Nokia Asha 501 is simple, fast and highly intuitive.

It’s one of those things that you only need to do once when you get a brand new phone and then it’s just a matter of keeping your contacts up-to-date.