Nokia to launch Asha 501 in Kingdom soon

Nokia is preparing to launch Asha 501 across the Saudi market in July. A senior Nokia executive made this announcement as the company unveiled a new family of Asha smart phones in New Delhi.
The handset pushes the boundaries of affordable smart phone design with bold color, a high-quality build and an innovative user interface, said Tom Farrell, vice president of Nokia Middle East.
He said the Nokia Asha 501 is the first device to run on the new Asha platform, which is designed to make the experience faster and more responsive.
“Saudi Arabia is a very important market and Nokia is doing well with its various models in the market,” Farrell said.
There are already five Asha models available in the Saudi market. They include Asha 310, Asha 311, Asha 308, Asha 303 and Asha 302, he said.
The new Nokia Asha 501 was purpose-built to give people the best possible mobile experiences at an affordable price, he added.
The Nokia Asha 501 is expected to start shipping in June 2013, Farrell said.
It is expected to be available through approximately 60 operators and distributors in more than 90 countries worldwide.
The new Nokia Asha 501 was purpose-built to give people the best possible mobile experiences at an affordable price.
The Asha 501 is the first smart phone built on the new Asha platform, which leverages Nokia’s investments in Smarterphone, a company which Nokia acquired in 2012.
The Nokia Asha 501 makes high-end design and quality accessible to more people.
The device is available in a choice of six striking colors that complement the elegant design.
The new Asha comes with Nokia Xpress Browser pre-loaded, which compresses Internet data by up to 90 percent. This is aimed at making mobile browsing faster and more affordable.
The new Asha platform provides developers with an open, standards-based environment for creating quality apps for consumers. Developers can create apps for the Nokia Asha 501 that will be compatible with future Asha platform-based devices.
Many of the most popular applications are already available or in development for the Nokia Asha platform, including CNN, eBuddy, ESPN, Facebook, Foursquare, Line, LinkedIn, Nimbuzz, Pictelligent, The Weather Channel, Twitter, WeChat, World of Red Bull and games from Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Indiagames, Namco-Bandai and Reliance Games.
WhatsApp and other key partners continue to explore new Asha.