Nokia reveals the Nokia 220 and Asha 230 budget handsets
Here in Barcelona, Nokia's press shindig is all about showing off the handsets that are destined for emerging markets and the oft-cited "next billion" phone users. The first piece of hardware on show is Nokia's Asha 230, designed for those who want to move from a feature phone to something a little bit smarter. The quad-band GSM handset is available in single or dual-SIM variants and has Nokia's Xpress browser to help sip scarce mobile data. Hardware-wise, there's a 2.8-inch QVGA display, will accept 32GB microSD cards and is priced at just 45 euros. It'll roll out today across all the regions that Nokia currently does business in.
At the same time, the company is also unveiling the Nokia 220, an "aspirational" feature phone that comes with a 2.4-inch display. Available in single or dual-SIM versions, it'll connect to 2G internet, enabling users to take advantage of the pre-loaded Twitter and Facebook apps, as well as the aforementioned Xpress browser. It'll retail for 29 euros and is launching from today in Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.