Nokia X: one month on

A month after reshaping the future of affordable smartphones at MWC 2014, the Nokia X has already taken parts of the world by storm.

Following the announcement on February 24 in Barcelona and the immediate release of the Nokia X, in many countries, we look at some of the global highlights a month on.

Malaysia – March 5

First in line were Malaysian Nokia fans, for which the device was introduced during a local launch event. It featured the team from LINE, one of the great messaging and social apps available to download for the Nokia X.

Local gadget site Lowyat commented: “The new Nokia X features a custom interface made by Nokia which contains elements from Windows Phone and Nokia Asha series. -Users are able to install plenty of Android apps into the device rather easily.”

Cairo – March 5

Held at the prominent Intercontinental, City Stars Hotel, the team hosted a roundtable to introduce the Nokia X, the Nokia XL, the Nokia Asha 230 and the Nokia 220 to Egyptian tech and lifestyle media.

It was an enjoyable day and repositioned Nokia as a fun and innovative brand that reaches out to the young community.

India – March 10

Next stop on the international rollout was India, a nation with a particularly keen eye for affordable smartphones. To commemorate the launch on March 10, Nokia held a tri-city launch event in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore prior to the sales start.

“The company launched the Nokia X smartphones, which for the first time are using Android’s open source software and are priced in direct competition,” commented the influential Hindu Business Line.

Philippines – March 11

Nokia would look east once again, 24 hours later, for a high-profile Nokia X coming-out party in the Philippines. The party was attended by a wide selection of the technology, news and lifestyle media that witnessed some pretty nifty skateboarding action as Nokia demonstrated the new Fastlane UI feature.

DigitalSpidey pointed out: “Nokia X feels really solid housed on a polycarbonate body that presents itself more of a premium-built assembly but will be sold on the mass market.”

Vietnam – March 11

Nokia fans in the southeast Asian nation were seeing green as the Nokia X handset arrived on March 11. The media event was held in Ho Chi Min City to commemorate the launch.

Thailand – March 13

Bringing us up to speed on international launches to date was the Thailand event on March 13. The local Nokia team kick-started the show with a perilous jump stunt (see below)! You can also check out the festivities in the video below.

Kenya – March 19

Gathering a rich combination of bloggers, business and tech media at the five-star Sarova Stanley hotel, our Kenyan team showcased the Nokia X to a rapturous response.

More than 33 influential media got to try out the Nokia X first hand and were guided through key Microsoft and Nokia features and services, such as FastLane, HERE Maps, Skype, Outlook and OneDrive.

Nokia’s VP for South East Africa, Gerad Brandjes, and Bruce Howe, Nokia East Africa general manager, led the proceedings, cementing Nokia X as the strongest contender in the affordable smartphone segment.

However, that’s by no means the end of the story.  The Chinese launch of the Nokia X is imminent and we’re sure to see equally Xcited Nokia fans.

The Nokia X family will also mark the spot in Indonesia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Poland, many more markets in Africa in the forthcoming weeks and months, including the debut of Nokia X+ and Nokia XL early in the second quarter.

The first month has been a whirlwind for this unique breed of affordable smartphone, but this is only the beginning as more nations get in on the act and more apps and services become available. Watch this space!