Nokia adds to the Asha family a all-new handset, the affordable Asha 501 which is the first device to run the company’s new Asha platform. Available in six vibrant colors, Nokia said the phone makes high-end design and quality accessible to more people. It looks like Nokia is bringing Lumia-style design to the Asha line, unifying the look and feel of its offerings.
The new Asha platform, intended to make it easier for people to access things they want, has two main screens and switch between them with a simple swipe. The Home screen is an icon-based launcher for accessing apps and features, and the Fastlane view shows users recently access contract, apps and social networks. Social apps such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Whatsapp, WeChat will be available on the Asha platform. It comes with 40 free EA games downloadable from Nokia Store.
The Asha 501 is a full touchscreen phone and there is only a back button on the front. It has a 3-inch capacitive 320×240 touchscreen display and a 3.2 Megapixel camera. It supports Bluetooth and WiFi 802.11b/g connectivity and has no NFC support. A 4GB microSD card is included and the slot supports up to 32GB cards. The handset supports only 2G GSM/GPRS network and an EasySwap Dual SIM version will be available for users who want to use two numbers on a single device.
Nokia’s new Asha will be available for US$99. It comes in Bright Red, Bright Green, Cyan, Yellow, White and Black colors.
