High-end smartphones sure are fun. But the smartphone market is inching closer to saturation in the countries that care the most about the high-end. That will leave much of the market’s future growth coming from emerging countries where the focus isn't necessarily on the latest announcement from Apple, Samsung, or HTC. Nokia is already a big player in these markets, but it’s hoping to take the next step with its new Asha 501 smartphone.
The Asha 501 is ridiculously cheap, with a US$99 suggested retail price. That's off-contract, of course. So naturally, we aren’t looking at headline-grabbing specs or features. But that doesn’t make it any less important.
The Asha 501 could be an important entry point for people who otherwise wouldn’t own a smartphone. And it’s also important to Nokia, which wants to build on its presence in emerging countries – while still playing the long game in wealthier areas with its Lumia line.
[h=2]Asha[/h]
The handset runs Nokia’s Asha platform, which was designed for phones just like the 501. We’re talking basic smartphone functionality, without the higher-end bells and whistles that you get with iOS or Android.
Asha’s most distinctive feature is probably its Fastlane launcher, which shuns the traditional homescreen for a recently-used (and predictive) list of apps and services. If you aren't into that sort of thing, the OS also lets you use a more traditional homescreen.
Being a relatively new platform, Asha is skimpy in the apps department. But the Finnish company has already lined up a few heavy hitters, like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. We'll likely see more developers added to the list as Nokia throws more of its weight behind the platform.
[h=2]Not about the specs[/h]
There are already countless other low-end smartphones floating around. But the Asha 501 brings a hint of Lumia phones' design language to that end of the spectrum. Nokia describes the phone's look and construction:
The device is available in a choice of six striking colours that complement the elegant design. It comes in just two parts: a durable, removable casing and the scratch-resistant glass display, which features a three-inch, capacitive touchscreen and a single 'back' button. The compact new Asha weighs only 98 grams, for the ultimate portability.
The Asha 501’s specs are – to the surprise of exactly nobody – a ways off from the high-end. We’re looking at a 3-inch display with 160 x 120 resolution (just 67 pixels per inch). It also totes 128 MB of RAM, 4 GB of storage, and a 3.2 MP camera. This is as budget as it gets.
But this $99 phone obviously isn’t about specs. It’s more about delivering the most fundamental things that a smartphone provides to places that may have never enjoyed them before. Things that we “first-worlders” often take for granted – like working mobile email, web, messaging, and social media services. It's a phone with somewhat different priorities, for cultures that often have very different priorities.
The Asha 501 starts shipping in June – to more than 90 countries. You can get the full scoop from Nokia at the source links below.
Source: Nokia [1] [2]
The Asha 501 is ridiculously cheap, with a US$99 suggested retail price. That's off-contract, of course. So naturally, we aren’t looking at headline-grabbing specs or features. But that doesn’t make it any less important.
The Asha 501 could be an important entry point for people who otherwise wouldn’t own a smartphone. And it’s also important to Nokia, which wants to build on its presence in emerging countries – while still playing the long game in wealthier areas with its Lumia line.
[h=2]Asha[/h]
The handset runs Nokia’s Asha platform, which was designed for phones just like the 501. We’re talking basic smartphone functionality, without the higher-end bells and whistles that you get with iOS or Android.
Asha’s most distinctive feature is probably its Fastlane launcher, which shuns the traditional homescreen for a recently-used (and predictive) list of apps and services. If you aren't into that sort of thing, the OS also lets you use a more traditional homescreen.
Being a relatively new platform, Asha is skimpy in the apps department. But the Finnish company has already lined up a few heavy hitters, like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. We'll likely see more developers added to the list as Nokia throws more of its weight behind the platform.
[h=2]Not about the specs[/h]
There are already countless other low-end smartphones floating around. But the Asha 501 brings a hint of Lumia phones' design language to that end of the spectrum. Nokia describes the phone's look and construction:
The device is available in a choice of six striking colours that complement the elegant design. It comes in just two parts: a durable, removable casing and the scratch-resistant glass display, which features a three-inch, capacitive touchscreen and a single 'back' button. The compact new Asha weighs only 98 grams, for the ultimate portability.
The Asha 501’s specs are – to the surprise of exactly nobody – a ways off from the high-end. We’re looking at a 3-inch display with 160 x 120 resolution (just 67 pixels per inch). It also totes 128 MB of RAM, 4 GB of storage, and a 3.2 MP camera. This is as budget as it gets.
But this $99 phone obviously isn’t about specs. It’s more about delivering the most fundamental things that a smartphone provides to places that may have never enjoyed them before. Things that we “first-worlders” often take for granted – like working mobile email, web, messaging, and social media services. It's a phone with somewhat different priorities, for cultures that often have very different priorities.
The Asha 501 starts shipping in June – to more than 90 countries. You can get the full scoop from Nokia at the source links below.
Source: Nokia [1] [2]