On Nokia 1800 and Nokia 1616

May 7, 2010 08:00 GMT  ·  By

Today, Espoo, Finland-based mobile phone maker Nokia announced the launch of Ovi Life Tools (Nokia Ovi Sheng Huo Tong) in China. According to the company, the service was designed to fit the needs of emerging markets, and it should provide users in China with access to information services covering healthcare, agriculture, education and entertainment. The service is meant for rural people and should improve their economic prosperity and life quality.

The Nokia Ovi Life Tools comes to China on two affordable and easy to use mobile phones, namely Nokia 1616 and the Nokia 1800. Future handsets with support for the service should also arrive on the market. “While China's urbanization is growing rapidly, we believe there is a compelling need to provide mobile solutions in emerging markets bringing affordable, quality, and locally relevant information direct to the consumer,” said Chris Leong, senior vice president, Greater China, Korea & Japan.

Ovi Life Tools should become available across China on the aforementioned handsets, being delivered to users as an SMS service in simplified Chinese. The Finnish handset vendor says the service is being launched in China with six major partners, including 39.net, Beijing Nongxintong Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Etiantian Net Educational Technology Co. Ltd (Beijing Sizhong Ltd.), British Council, Kongzhong Corporation and Sina.com.

“The service is available to consumers via subscription or on demand. Consumers can activate the service from an icon on the menu of the device and can choose any one of four selected services to enjoy a 2-week free trial use. Beside the free service, users can also subscribe to the other premium content offered in the menu,” Nokia added. Additional details on Nokia's Ovi Life Tools in China are available here.

Nokia 1800 and Nokia 1616, the handsets that will bring Ovi Life Tools to China, should become available for purchase in mid-May. The former includes a large color display and exchangeable color covers, along with integrated hands-free speaker, FM radio, flashlight, and Calendar. The latter device sports an anti-dust keypad, flashlight and FM Radio. The phones are expected to feature a price tag of RMB 250-300.