Nokia showcases Asha phones in Nigeria

TELECOMS

By Lukas Ajanaku, Lagos, Nigeria

In a bid to continually deliver unmatched mobile experience to its teeming customers, Nokia has unveiled the Asha range of products into the Nigerian market.

The launch event, which took place in Lagos recently, saw the official introduction of the Nokia Asha 201 and Nokia Asha 303 into the Nigerian market.

Nokia Asha phones  are messaging devices produced with full QWERTY keypad for  quick  and  easy  text  input yet quite affordable. The Asha range are available at the very affordable prize of mobile phones but imbued with the distinct features of smart phones.

General Manager Sales, Nokia Nigeria, Chris Brown said consumers could now send  text  messages,  emails  and  chats with their friends with the added speed  advantage of QWERTY. They can also view their friends status updates and  tweet  right there on their home screen and download thousands of free applications from the proprietary Nokia store.

Nokia’s Solutions Marketing Manager,  Kesiena  Ogbemi  said in a product presentation that the Asha range of mobile devices represents futuristic concepts already being delivered to users. He said: “Asha means hope and we see the next generation as one that is bound to be connected beyond calls and text messaging. Thus today, we are launching an ambition and not devices.’’

Brown added that Nokia Asha was consistent with the company’s tradition of always churning out devices that suit consumer needs.

He  stated: “We are making phones that give users a great experience and in Asha  201  and  303, we are giving young people devices that are trendy and packed with lots of exciting applications.

He added that besides having a QWERTY keyad, Asha 201 and 303 handsets also give users  access to the Nokia store, where thousands of free applications can be downloaded and they come with a one-month free data plan from MTN Nigeria to allow internet access.

Nokia Asha 201 comes with fully integrated social  networks  to  make consumers stay connected to friends and networks via  Nimbuzz,  Facebook  chats  and  more.  It  also  has  high performance loudspeakers  to  enable  consumers  share favourite music with friends and support for up to 32G with a microSD memory card.

The  Nokia  Asha  303  comes  with  all  tools on the homescreen, meaning consumers can view their friends’ updates and tweet with one click. It also comes with touchscreen capabilities and a Nokia Brower that gives consumers faster and more cost effective web browsing  experience.  The Nokia Browser compresses consumer data by up to 90%, which means consumers can spend less money and less time surfing the internet.