Nokia Asha 205 & 206 Phones

Nokia is outing its latest Asha handset that features preloaded social networking apps such as Twitter and Facebook. Asha 205 is part of the Asha series launched by Nokia last year and the 2G handset comes in two variants, single- or dual-SIM, and both having the Series 40 OS and QWERTY keypad. 

The phone is intended for the emerging market and is touted as an alternative to top-of-the-range devices. WhatsApp is included in the single-SIM variant but both can download 40 EA games within two months from purchase and it may require a microSD upgrade to 32Gb.Known specs include an Express cloud-compression browser, a circular D-pad and a 2.4-inch landscape screen with an average color reproduction.

Another handset outed is Asha 206 which has the same features of 205 except for the numpad input. The keyboard is inferior to that of a BlackBerry but the keys are more sensitive and properly positioned. Existing colors include the black/cyan and a white/orange version while forthcoming is the pink/magenta mix. The ports for headphone and charging can be found at the top edge while tiny speaker holes and a VGA camera area featured at the back. 

What’s fascinating about this handset is the capability of its battery to last 37 days on standby. A new functionality called Nokia Slam allows for faster sharing of media through a Bluetooth that doesn’t require pairing. Both handsets will be hitting the stores worldwide before the current year ends at a price of $62 (BHD 25).