A great new touch screen experience, fast web browsing, games and social networks lie at the heart of three new mobiles phones being launched today by Nokia.
The Nokia Asha 305, Nokia Asha 306 and Nokia Asha 311 are a colourful range of mobile phones designed for young, urban and social people to get online faster, better and cheaper.
The devices will run on Asha Touch, which is a new, fun and playful touch screen interface that builds on Nokia’s swipe heritage.
Asha Touch will provide aspirational young people a first ‘smartphone-like’ experience, for example, through the notification bar and the 10,000 web applications that are available. This is on top of more than 25,000 regular apps already in the Nokia Store.
Nokia Browser 2.0
All the phones also feature a major update of the Nokia Browser, which uses cloud technology to reduce data usage by up to 90%. The benefits are numerous: web pages will load faster, battery life is improved and mobile Internet access becomes much more affordable.
Keeping in touch with friends on social networks is also central to the three new members of Nokia’s Asha family. They all come pre-loaded with applications for Facebook and Twitter, and there is also email and instant messaging.
People who want great games will not be disappointed either. Each phone will come with a gift of 40 free games from EA to download and keep forever. The games will include Tetris®, Bejeweled®, Need for Speed™ The Run and EA SPORTS™ FIFA 12.
So, now we know that the Nokia Asha 305, Nokia Asha 306 and Nokia Asha 311 come with great features and dozens of free games.
What are the differences between the phones themselves?
The Nokia Asha 305 and the Nokia Asha 306:
- 3.0” WQVGA resistive touch screen
- 2 MP camera
- Music player and FM radio
- Built-in speaker
- Plug and Play, easy PC connection and file transfer
- GPRS/EDGE connectivity
- Nokia Maps and Nokia Life (in selected markets)
- Colours: Silver White, Red, Mid Blue and Dark Grey (varies by market)
In addition, the Nokia Asha 305 will benefit from Nokia’s Easy Swap Dual SIM technology, which allows SIM cards to be swapped without opening up or turning the phone off. This is useful for storing different numbers on your SIMs and for taking advantage of different operator rates.
Above: Nokia Asha 305, and below, the Nokia Asha 306.
The unique feature of the Nokia Asha 306 is its Wi-Fi capability. Indeed, it is set to be Nokia’s most affordable Wi-Fi handset device.
The Nokia Asha 311
- 3.0” scratch resistant, capacitive glass screen
- Polarised display filters for better usability in direct sunlight
- WLAN
- 3.2 MP camera
- 1GHz processor
- Music Player, FM Radio and Internet Radio
- Plug and Play, easy PC connection and file transfer
- HSPA connectivity
- Nokia Maps and Nokia Life (in selected markets)
- Colours: Dark Grey, Rose Red, Blue, Brown and Sand White (colours will vary by market)
The Nokia Asha 311, shown above, is a 3.5G mobile phone powered by 1GHz processor to make for a speedy online and gaming experience. As well as the 40 free EA games, the Nokia Asha 311 will also include 15 preloaded levels of Angry Birds for you to enjoy.
Taken together, these new mobile phones, the Nokia Asha 305, Nokia Asha 306 and the Nokia Asha 311 are another big step in the quest to connect the next billion.
For approximate costs, before local taxes or operator subsidies:
Nokia Asha 305 – 63 euros / 85 USD, available in Q2 2012
Nokia Asha 306 – 68 euros / 93 USD, available in Q3 2012
Nokia Asha 311 – 92 euros / 121 USD, available in Q3 2012
Nokia Asha 305 will be available in the second quarter of 2012. Nokia Asha 306 and Nokia Asha 311 are arriving in the third quarter of 2012.