Nokia introduces Asha 210, the most social Asha yet

MANILA, Philippines - Nokia has unveiled the latest device in its Asha family, designed to offer consumers more social experiences at an affordable price.

The Nokia Asha 210, available in Single- or Easy Swap Dual-SIM variants, features a distinctly Nokia design and smart imaging that sets it apart from the crowd. It supports Wi-Fi to help people enjoy more of the Internet for less and is the world’s first phone to have a dedicated WhatsApp button.

Your social life at your fingertips

The Nokia Asha 210 has a QWERTY keyboard and a dedicated WhatsApp button for fast access to instant messaging. To celebrate the Nokia and WhatsApp partnership, WhatsApp is offering its service for free on all Nokia Asha 210 devices with the WhatsApp button for their lifespan.

Combined with Facebook, Twitter and support for popular e-mail accounts such as Gmail, the Nokia Asha 210 is designed to ensure that people are never more than a few clicks away from their friends and family.

Capture, share great images every time

The Nokia Asha 210 comes with a 2-MP camera that can be accessed through a dedicated hard key even when the keypad is locked. The smart camera also offers a choice of image capture, editing and sharing options, including:  

• Self-portrait — for perfectly centered self-portraits, even without a front-facing camera. The built-in voice guides the user to ensure they are in the frame, before taking the shot;

• Fast editing of images directly from the camera app and easy sharing of images to social networks.

People can also share photos and other content quickly by using Nokia’s innovative Slam feature, which comes built into the Nokia Asha 210. It works by enabling the transfer of content such as images or videos to another Bluetooth-enabled phone without the need to pair devices.

“The Nokia Asha 210 really stands out giving super-social consumers new ways to express their personalities through design, color and innovations like the world’s first WhatsApp button,” said Timo Toikkanen, Nokia executive vice president for mobile phones.

“It has been designed to allow people to easily update their social networks, stay in touch with friends and share user created content,” Toikkanen added.

“We are focused on delivering the best WhatsApp experience to as many people as possible,” said Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp Inc. “We are very excited about our partnership with Nokia Asha complementing our strategy of giving people around the world an easy experience when keeping in touch with their friends.”

The new device also takes full advantage of the Nokia Xpress Browser which uses Nokia’s cloud technology to reduce data consumption by up to 90 percent, helping people enjoy more affordable Internet access.

The Nokia Asha 210 also features Nokia Nearby, a Web app that lets people discover points of interest such as restaurants, shopping and ATM machines close to their location.

Other key features for Nokia Asha 210 include:

• Social phonebook integration with the ability to launch WhatsApp direct from contact cards in the Phonebook;

• Preloaded YouTube launcher for direct video streaming;

• Chat screen notifications that keep users up-to-date on new conversations;

• Single-SIM and Dual-SIM models featuring Nokia’s exclusive EasySwap technology that enables consumers to change SIM cards without having to turn off the device;

• Wi-Fi On/Off control button; and

• Nokia’s renowned long battery life: up to 46 days with Single-SIM and up to 24 days with Dual-SIM.

The Nokia Asha 210 is available in yellow, cyan, black, magenta and white. Its estimated retail price is around $72 and it is expected to start shipping in the second quarter.