14 DAY TRIAL // Nokia has been touting for a long time its plans to connect the next billion people to the Internet, and has made available a wide range of applications that provide as many users as possible with the option to tap into the possibilities offered by the World Wide Web.
One of these was Nokia Life, already used by over 76 million people in India, China, Nigeria and Indonesia who did not have access to cellular data.
Based on the success of that application, the company decided to come up with a new app for users, namely Nokia Life+, which was designed to enable users to easily access information that matter to them.
“Nokia Life+ is supported across a range of basic Nokia handsets, Series 40 phones and the Asha smartphones, including the recently launched Nokia Asha 308 and Nokia Asha 309,” the company notes.
The application is offered for free, and has already been made available for download via the Nokia Store.
Moreover, users can also access it through the newly improved Nokia Xpress Browser, which was designed to compress data by up to 90 percent, thus offering faster and more affordable Internet to all people.
“What we noticed is that there is vast amounts of information which is available on the Internet but this itself does not provide much useful information for people to consume on their mobile phone,” Vice President and Global Head of Nokia Life, Jawahar Kanjilal, told Nokia Conversations.
“It is still difficult for them to get relevant services. With Nokia Life+ we provide a suite of life improvement information services and allow people easy access to valuable information, which can enable them to experience a better quality of life.”
Both Nokia Life and Nokia Life+ will continue being offered to users, so that people can benefit from access to richer content than before, and to enjoy a web-based experience on their mobile phones.
The service remains free to use, although data charges might apply to those taking advantage of it. it is available in over 18 countries around the world, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, South Africa, Malaysia and Kenya, yet it is provided only in English at the moment.
Nokia Life+ comes with two key services right from the start, namely Life Skills and Live Healthy: - Life Skills helps young people in particular to develop their inter-personal skills, manage their personal finances and how to start running their own businesses.
- Live Healthy offers assistance on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, preventing and treating common illnesses and information on a wide range of health topics.
A local version of the service has already been launched in Indonesia, and new such variants are planned for Nigeria, China and India. The localized Nokia Life+ will offer support for native languages, as well as services specifically tailored for the respective markets.
