One of the latest software solutions available for the users of Series 40 phones in emerging markets is Nokia Listings, which has just been released in a beta flavor from the Nokia Beta Labs. According to the application's developer team, it was aimed at offering a simple solution to keep buyers and sellers or employers and job seekers connected. The beta trial of the application is available only for users in India.

“It is a well-known fact that the majority (60%+) of the hiring and consumer-to-consumer transactions, like apartment rentals, in emerging markets currently occur via word-of-mouth or through middlemen who charge a hefty commission for their services. Our goal is to bring the benefits of a digital marketplace to users of basic mobile phones (Series 40) without GPRS connections. The application therefore is fully functional on both SMS and GPRS,” a recent post on the Nokia Beta Labs blog reads.

There are three major categories of listings the Nokia Listings has been created for, including Buy & Sell, where one can find or post items for sale, Jobs, for finding or posting a job, and Local Services, through which people can “access or advertise services such as auto repairs, driver services, plumbers, etc.” According to the developing team, users do not need to register explicitly for the service, as listings are goe-coded, enabling users find the items nearest to their location.

“For many people in emerging markets accessing information to secure a job or locate goods and services in their local area is a difficult task. Nokia Listings (now in beta) has been developed for the purpose of making this process of connecting buyers and sellers (or employers and job seekers) as simple as possible,” the blog post notes. The service offers users the possibility to SMS or call the other party via the application, or send the listing to their friends.

As stated above, the service is currently being tested in India. The Nokia Beta Labs post notes that limited content is being tested at the moment, and that the service is set to become available across more regions in the near future. All Nokia phones with support for Java can benefit from the app, which has been optimized for Series 40 devices.