Nokia has unveiled the Nokia Asha 501 smartphone, the first device to run on the new Asha platform, designed to make smartphones faster and more responsive and aimed at the sub-USD 100 market. Nokia expects to start shipping the new phone in June 2013 and to make it available through around 60 operators and distributors in over 90 countries for USD 99 before taxes and subsidies.
The Asha 501 comprises a removable casing and a scratch-resistant, 3-in capacitive touschscreen display with a single back button. It offers a choice of two main screens, Home and Fastlane. The first is a traditional icon-based format for launching individual apps or launching a specific feature. The second provides a record of how the phone is used, showing recently accessed contacts, apps and social networks, to give faster access to the user’s favourite features.
The Asha 501 will ship with the Nokia Xpress Browser, which customers can supplement with the Nokia Xpress Now app recommending content based on location, preferences and trending topics. It will be available via the browser home page or as a Nokia Store download. The Asha 501 will come in six colours and will feature a 3.2 MP camera, single and dual Sim versions, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
One of the phone’s launch partners, Airtel, has joined forces with Facebook to offer data-free access to the Facebook app and m.facebook.com mobile site the Asha 501 buyers in Africa and India for a limited period of time. Indonesia’s Telkomsel will offer a month of free data to new owners.
Nokia said it expects to sell 100 million new-generation Asha smartphones over the coming years. Apps already available or in development for the Asha OS include CNN, eBuddy, ESPN, Foursquare, LinkedIn and games from EA, Gameloft and Namco-Bandai. Nokia is offering the Asha SDK 1.0 and Nokia Asha web app tools. It will release within the next few weeks a public beta of the In-App Payment tool that will support existing Asha and Series 40 phones.
