14 DAY TRIAL // Nokia has just announced the availability of Nokia C3-01 Gold Edition handset based on the Series 40 user interface.
The phone is plated with 18-carat gold and features a ceramic keypad, but also comes with enhanced hardware in comparison to the original Nokia C3-01 Touch and Type feature-phone.
In this regard, the Gold Edition is equipped with a fast single-core processor clocked at 1GHz, instead of the low-performance CPU of the original version.
The handset comes with a 2.4-inch QVGA touchscreen display, but Nokia does not mention if it's the same resistive screen or it has been replaced with a capacitive one.
Just like the standard C3-01 Touch and Type, the Gold Edition offers quad-band radio support, as well as HSDPA data speeds up to 10.2 Mbps and HSUPA (2 Mbps).
The same 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and video recording capabilities (VGA@15fps) has been embedded on the back of the phone.
It only packs 30 MB of internal memory, but additional storage is available via microSD card slot up to 32GB.
Nokia C3-01 Gold Edition measures 111 x 47.5 x 11mm and weighs 100g, while the battery is rated as offering up to 5.5 hours of talk time and up to 18 days on standby.
Software-wise, the phone features the same S40 UI, which has been improved with a faster web browser.
In addition, the handset comes bundled with Nokia Messaging for email and IM functionality, Nokia Communities for checking into Facebook and Twitter, as well as Ovi Store, which provides access to extra apps and games.
According to Nokia, the phone was especially designed for Eastern European and Middle Eastern markets and has already started shipping in selected markets.
The C3-01 Gold Edition costs around around €220 without local taxes or operator subsidies, and will be introduced in additional countries in the coming weeks.
