Nokia debut 206 and Asha 205 with new ‘Slam’ media sharing feature

Nokia is turning its attention to emerging markets with the announcement of its new 206 and Asha 205 handsets. These budget phones feature social media integration allowing users to gain quick access to Facebook, eBuddy and WhatsApp.

The most interesting aspect of these handsets, is the newly designed content sharing feature, Slam. The 206 and Asha 205 are not top end but definitely offer users all the basics, and a couple of extras to give a solid mobile experience.

The Nokia 206

The 206 is modeled on Nokia’s iconic candy bar design and alpha-numeric key setup and aimed at “the urban youth” according to the Finnish company. Its fitted with a respectable 2.4-inch display, as well as a 1.3MP rear camera. It also features a microSD slot that offers up to 32GB worth of memory capacity.

The 206 can operate in both single or dual SIM modes with a standby time of 47 and 28 days respectively. It functions exclusively on 2G bandwidths, the reason being, to lessen data consumption for users as their phones are the only way to access the internet. This is a fact that played heavily into Nokia’s thinking when designing these two devices.

The Nokia Asha 205

The 205 looks to be Nokia’s entry-level offering for the Asha range. Fitted with a QWERTY keypad layout the phone also features a Facebook button. This is not the first phone to feature this type of social media integration with HTC releasing a host of unsuccessful Facebook smartphones.

Although the 205 is an official part of the Asha range, it mirrors the features and functionality of the 206 in a lot of ways. It has a similar 2.4-inch display and single/dual SIM capacity which offer 37 and 25 days standby time respectively.

It also has the same 2G setup and 32GB worth of microSD expandable storage. The definable difference between the two devices is the Asha 205’s VGA rear camera and the aforementioned social media and QWERTY key setup.

Slam content sharing

Slam is Nokia’s new content sharing feature and is designed to limit the strain put on data usage when using the internet to transfer media, specifically in emerging markets. Slam is Bluetooth enabled and allows users to share content with any other Nokia or Android phone. No news on when it will be optimised for iOS and Windows Phone users. It’s also important to note that does not function with the dual SIM setup.

As far as pricing goes, both handsets look set to retail for around US$62, which should make these enticing prospects come the initial releases to India, Nigeria and Indonesia in the coming months.