Mark Bridge writes:
This week Nokia has announced the latest iteration of its Symbian software platform: Symbian Belle, which follows the alphabetical theme started by Symbian Anna. Whether we’ll reach Symbian Zoe, Zara or Zsa-Zsa before Symbian support ends in 2016 is another matter. But I digress.
Along with Symbian Belle came three new phones - yet it was two other Nokia phones announced from Kenya on Thursday that caught my eye.
They’re the Nokia 100 and Nokia 101. Based on Nokia’s new numbering scheme, you’d expect them to be low-priced and relatively light on features. You’d be right... but you’d probably also be surprised at what you get for your money.
Both phones have colour screens, FM radios and an icon-based Series 30 OS menu to help consumers who aren’t literate. The Nokia 101 also has an MP3 player, an expandable memory and the ability to hold two SIM cards. Both phones have battery life with a standby time of up to 25 days on standby or 6.7 hours talktime.
You’ll find voice calls (obviously!), text messaging, games and a built-in torch, along with information from Nokia Life Tools and Nokia Money in selected markets.
Pricing before any network operator subsidies is going to be around 20 euros ($30) for the Nokia 100 and 25 euros ($35) for the Nokia 101. That’s a SIM-free ex-VAT price of about £18.00 for a brand new mobile phone. Pretty impressive, when you consider what something similar would have cost ten years ago.