Nokia this week introduced the $99 Asha 501 — the first in a lineup of smartphones that will run a refreshed operating system.
The 3-inch touch-screen device comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth accessibility, as well as a 3.2-megapixel camera, 4GB of memory, and a battery that boasts up to 48 days of standby time.
The Asha 501 offers users the choice of two main screens: Home and Fastlane. Home is just what it sounds like — a traditional, icon-based view for launching apps or accessing features. Fastlane, meanwhile, was built for people who really use their phone — it culls recently accessed contacts, social networks, and apps, providing a sort of "favorites" page for the user.
The Finnish phone maker also announced Nokia Xpress Now, its own version of Google Now, which recommends content based on location, preferences, and trending topics — available via the pre-loaded Xpress Browser or as a download from the Nokia Store.
The Asha 501 will run an updated software platform based on technology from Smarterphone, which Nokia acquired in 2012. The update "builds on the best aspects of Series 40 to create something fresh and innovative," Nokia said. "The result is an evolutionary operating system that is fast, responsive and easy to use."
Nokia promised new features and functionalities with future updates.
But smartphone buyers aren't the only people Nokia is targeting with its new Asha OS. The platform provides developers with what the company called "an open, standards-based environment for creating quality apps." Applications built for the Asha 501 will be also be compatible with future Asha OS-based devices.
A number of applications are already available for the new system, including CNN, eBuddy, ESPN, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, The Weather Channel, and Twitter, as well as a number of games from Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Indiagames, Namco-Bandai, and Reliance Games. Nokia's cloud-based map service Here will also be available on the phone.
"The new Nokia Asha 501 raises the bar for what is possible in affordable smartphone design and optimization," Timo Toikkanen, executive vice president of Nokia mobile phones, said in a statement. "The synergy between the physical design and the engine that is the new Asha platform has created a smartphone with both style and substance at a great price."
The $99 Asha 501 is expected to start shipping in June across 90 countries in Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa from operators like America Movil, Telkomsel, Airtel Africa, and MTN.
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