Internet-ready phone.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: The Nokia era is not yet over as Microsoft today launched a basic mobile phone model called Nokia 215 priced at $29 (Rs.1837).
Nokia 215 has dual SIM and single SIM variants. The dual SIM version of the device will be only available in areas where people have shown interest in buying dual SIM phones, for example, India.
The Nokia 215 is expected to go on sale in Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe within three months. The acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft was one of the biggest tech buying’s of 2014. The deal also saw Microsoft purchasing the right to use the brand name Nokia for their business.
Later in the year Microsoft announced that they will continue to use the brand name Nokia for their low-end devices and will switch the name of high-end smartphones to Microsoft Lumia. The launch of Microsoft Lumia 535 began the process of the tech giants ditching the brand name Nokia in their high-end smartphones.
Nokia 215, which is an affordable mobile phone, is aimed at people who are first time buyers of mobile phones. The device offers Internet connectivity but lacks the support for 3G, which will make surfing internet really slow. But Microsoft has preloaded Nokia 215 with Bing Search and Opera Mini for faster search and internet experience. Other preloaded apps include MSN Weather, Twitter and Facebook to keep social networks live.
The new Nokia phone runs on the Nokia Series 30+ operating environment. Like all other basic mobile phones, the new Nokia 215 also has a long-lasting battery that can last up to one month on standby mode and give up to 20 hours of talk time on the 2G network. Microsoft has also boasted that the new Nokia 215 can play 50 hours of Mp3 and 45 hours of non-stop FM radio all in just one complete charge of the battery.
Nokia 215 has Bluetooth connectivity that allows users to pair the device with headset or speaker. Microsoft has also enabled the SLAM technology using which two SLAM-enabled devices can send or receive files.
The phone also features a built-in flashlight, popularly known in India as torch and also supports 32 GB microSD card slot. The Phone comes in three different colors – bright lime green, black and white.