14 DAY TRIAL // Today, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia officially introduced a new device in its Asha lineup, one that comes with a full touch screen, namely the Asha 501.
The new device is the first in the new Asha 500 family, promising a new, fast, and appealing experience while on the go, courtesy of the new Asha platform loaded on it.
The new software is highly responsive, the company announced, adding that it comes with a redesigned touchscreen UI, with a dual homescreen view, as well as with the Nokia Xpress Browser pre-loaded.
There’s the traditional homescreen available on the new device, with the traditional icon-based view, along with a new, Fastlane view, which was designed to change in accordance with the device usage.
The Fastline offers “a record of how the phone is used, giving people a glimpse of their past, present and future activity, and helping them multi-task by providing easy access to their favorite features,” Nokia announced.
The handset also features double-tap to wake features, support for two SIM cards, with the possibility to switch between them without powering off the phone, as well as support for gestures, courtesy of functionality ported from MeeGo.
Nokia Asha 501 arrives on the market with a 3-inch capacitive touchscreen display, with a single back button on the front, while packing a 3.2-megapixel photo snapper on the back.
The handset measures 99.2 x 58 x 12.1 mm and weighs 98 grams, while packing a battery that can deliver up to 17 hours of talk time or up to 48 days of standby time with a single SIM card inside, or up to 26 days of standby time with two SIM cards inside.
Nokia Asha 501 also arrives with a variety of applications available for its users, including CNN, eBuddy, ESPN, Facebook, Foursquare, Line, LinkedIn, Nimbuzz, Pictelligent, The Weather Channel, Twitter, WeChat, World of Red Bull, WhatsApp, and more.
Additionally, the handset offers access to various games from Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Indiagames, Namco Bandai, and Reliance Games.
The new Nokia Asha 501 is set to arrive on shelves in India, Latin America, and Africa in June, featuring a price tag of $99 (€75) before taxes and subsidies. It will be released in Bright Red, Bright Green, Cyan, Yellow, White ,and Black.
According to Nokia, the handset is set to be available through around 60 operators and distributors in more than 90 countries worldwide.