14 DAY TRIAL // During a conference held in Nairobi, Kenya, Nokia announced four new phones from its C-series family as well as a Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit, an environmentally friendly solution, especially designed for areas where electricity access is limited. The phones are C1-00, C1-01, C1-02 and C2. The C2 is expected to hit the markets at the end of this year, a bit later than the other three Nokia products.
[admark=1]Priced at around € 30, the Nokia C1-00 is the least expensive of the three and it's the first dual-SIM Nokia mobile phone. However, the phone does not support dual standby which means a user can use only one number at any time. SIM cards can be switched "By simply holding down a key, people are able to switch between SIM cards. This enables them to take advantage of reduced call rates, flexibility when traveling from one country to another, or helps with sharing a phone within a family and still use their own SIM," said Alex Lambeek, vice president at Nokia. "This is a great added convenience feature considering the low price of the phone."
Apart from being the first dual-SIM Nokia phone, C1 also has the longest battery life amongst all the Nokia products, reaching up to six weeks in standby mode. The phone also features a flashlight, FM Radio with a 3.5 mm jack, combining entertainment with utility.
The Nokia C1-01 and C1-02, priced around €35 and €39 respectively are both single-SIM phones. Oriented mostly towards entertainment, both devices support microSD memory enhancement up to 32 GB. Compared to the Nokia C1-02, which lacks a camera, the Nokia C1-01 also features a built-in VGA camera. Web browsing through GPRS and services such as Nokia Messaging are available on both models.
Incorporating most of C1's features, the Nokia C2 has dual standby capability, meaning that both SIM cards are active at the same time. While one SIM is situated under the phone's battery, the second one is hot-swappable, allowing users to insert or remove it without turning the device off. The device can provide information on various subjects such as agriculture, healthcare, entertainment and education through the Nokia Ovi Life Tools application where the service is available. As well as the C1-01 and C1-02, this phone has FM Radio and can store up to 32 GB of data on a microSD card.
