Microsoft may have dropped the Nokia brand name for its lineup of smartphones, but it seems to have no plans to abandon its feature phones carrying the brand title just yet.
In its latest announcement, the company is releasing the newest member of its Microsoft's Series 30+ feature-phone lineup. Dubbed the Nokia 215, the device comes with a few smartphone features along with the familiar Lumia shade of bright green.
Compared with its older sibling, the Nokia 225 which was released last year, the Nokia 215 is not entirely different in its features except for its price. Without taxes and subsidies, the new Nokia device is priced at $29 against the $54 price tag of the 225. Just like the other basic and feature phones of the company, the 215 is designed to cater to first-time mobile users and to those who are aiming to have a second handset.
While it is true that the device doesn't belong to the smartphone genre and will have 3G capacity, it should be anticipated that Internet access via the phone could be slow. However, it does have the capacity to connect to the Web and is said to run a number of basic apps. These include Bing, Opera Mini, MSN Weather, Twitter and Facebook.
"With our ultra-affordable mobile phones and digital services, we see an inspiring opportunity to connect the next billion people to the Internet for the first time," said Jo Harlow, corporate VP of Microsoft's Devices Group. "The Nokia 215 is perfect for people looking for their first mobile device, or those wanting to upgrade to enjoy affordable digital and social media services, like Facebook and Messenger."
Other features of the device include a 2.4-inch QVGA LCD display with 320 x 240 pixels, 8 MB of RAM, Bluetooth 3.0, a built-in MP3 player and FM radio, a built-in torchlight, and the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology which allows it to send or receive files with another SLAM-enabled device. It also has a front VGA camera with 0.3-megapixel sensor and a slot for a 32-GB microSD card.
Weighing 78.7 grams, the Nokia 215 comes in single and dual SIM versions and has a standby time of up to 29 days and 21 days, respectively. Those who like to use their phones for calling friends and relatives can take advantage of the phone's 20 hours of talk time capacity.
The Nokia 215 is scheduled to roll out in the first quarter of 2015 in some markets such as Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Apart from bright green, the device will also come in colors of black and white.
