The Nokia 105 And 301: Low Budget Solutions With A Lot To Offer
Nokia phones are known for their ruggedness and usability, so much so that it’s often joked that Nokia phones could survive a nuclear armageddon without a scratch. Banking on their reputation for reliability, Nokia has announced the 105 and 301 for the low budget markets. While not much in the horse power department, both of these phones have something to offer the crowd on a budget who wants something that just works.
The 105 has a 1.45 inch color display, a physical numerical keypad, built in flashlight, FM radio, and old school phone and SMS options. It’s priced at around $20, but the real selling point, besides the price, is the battery life. It sports a staggering 35 days on standby, and a little over 12 hours of continuous talk time. At that price range, it’s set to become an excellent emergency or standby phone that you can guarantee works when you need it to. It also has a small array of software options, such as “Nokia Life” that gives education, health, and entertainment information in the Chinese, Indian, Indonesia, Nigerian, and Kenyan markets.
The 301 is a little beefier. Not quite a smart phone, it does run the Nokia Series 30 OS and has a 3.2 mega pixel camera with some limited editing options and the ability to shoot wide angle shots. There’s a voice aid for taking self-portrait shots (as there is no front facing camera). It will sport YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter apps, as well as some support for email and Exchange with calendar sync. It’s projected to cost around $85, and sports an amazing 39 day standby time on a single charge, with up to 20 hours of talk time. It will also have dual and single SIM card options.
While not as flashy and sexy as the Nokia Windows phone options, or any modern smartphones for that matter, there’s certainly a lot of utility crammed into both models. They are initially scheduled for release in international markets, primarily Asia, Africa, and Latin America, in Q2 2013, but even a technophile like myself wants one just in case my phone dies on a dusty road in the middle of nowhere.
