14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft and Nokia are working together to bring the Windows Phone operating system to more markets around the world, so as to offer more people the possibility to get a taste of it.
Earlier this week, the two announced one new step in this direction, consisting of the launch of Nokia's Lumia 710 smartphone on the market in South Korea.
The new mobile phone is expected to hit shelves in the country on December 26th on the airwaves of wireless carrier KT.
This will mark the debut of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 Mango operating system on the market in South Korea, as no other handset running under it has been yet released there.
Lumia 710 is the second Windows Phone that Nokia brought to the market during the ongoing year, and is also the cheapest.
Even so, it does pack appealing features and capabilities, including a 3.7-inch ClearBlack touchscreen display that can deliver an 800 x 480 pixel resolution, or a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 (WCDMA) application processor.
The specification list of the new mobile phone also includes a a 5-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with LED Flash, video recording, and Geotagging capabilities.
Moreover, the new mobile phone includes 8GB of internal memory, and 512MB of RAM. The handset is powered by a BP-3L 3.7V 1300mAh battery.
Nokia has also packed the new device with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity capabilities, as well as with 3.5mm AHJ Connector, HSUPA Cat6 5.76 Mbps, and HSDPA Cat10 14.4 Mbps.
Nokia Lumia 710 also offers support for a series of services from Microsoft and Nokia, including Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Music, and Bing Maps.
At KT, the new device is expected to feature a price tag of 360,000 won (US$311) with the signing of a two year contract agreement.
The handset was made available in a handful of markets this year, but should reach more of them in 2012, including the US, where it will land on the airwaves of T-Mobile on January 11th.