Nokia has launched two new feature phones today. The Nokia Asha 205 has a QWERTY keyboard and dedicated Facebook button while the Nokia 206 has a ‘candy bar’ design. Both are expected to go on sale from around $62 SIM-free (£46 incl. VAT) later this year, although UK availability hasn’t been confirmed.
The Nokia Asha 205 is Nokia’s first mobile phone with a dedicated Facebook button, providing direct access to the Facebook for Every Phone app. Also available with the phone are the free Nokia Life+ app and 40 downloadable EA Games. The phone will be produced in single SIM and dual SIM versions.
A new Nokia feature called Slam will be available on both the Asha 205 and the Nokia 206. Slam allows consumers to share photos and videos with nearby friends via Bluetooth without needing to ‘pair’ devices or have Slam installed on the recipient’s phone. Instead of requiring formal pairing, Slam chooses the closest phone. It’ll work with most handsets but not with iOS or Windows Phone devices at the moment.
Timo Toikkanen, Executive Vice President for Mobile Phones at Nokia, said “The latest Nokia devices give super-social consumers new ways to express their personalities through design, color and innovative new features like Slam. Both devices are built with the trust and quality people have come to expect from Nokia, and offer smarter Internet experiences that help save money today and tomorrow.”
A number of other manufacturers have previously built Facebook integration into their devices. The INQ1 - launched at the end of 2008 - was described by many as the first Facebook phone, with the company later producing additional Facebook-friendly devices. HTC and Vodafone have also launched phones with tight Facebook integration.