Nokia Asha 305 wins ‘Best Entry Level Phone’ at Mobile World Congress

Nokia Asha 305 won a GSMA Global Mobile Award for ‘Best Feature Phone or Entry Level Phone’ during Mobile World Congress 2013. The Nokia Asha 305 edged out two other Nokia devices, as well as the Samsung C3312 Duos, which were also nominated in this category. The full list of winners was unveiled in a ceremony hosted by actor and comedian, David Walliams.

Now in its eighteenth year, the Global Mobile Awards recognizes the latest and best innovations across the mobile ecosystem including hardware, software, apps and services. In 2013, the Awards saw a record-breaking 158 nominees across eight categories. In the Best Feature Phone or Entry Level Phone category, a total of three Nokia devices were nominated by a GSMA specialist judging panel: Nokia 103, Nokia Asha 302 and the winning Nokia Asha 305.

I would have love to see the Nokia Lumia 920 also winning in the best smartphone category, everyone else (critiques, tech websites, etc.), unanimously honor it as the best smartphone in 2012. I guess they're just avoiding issues that may arise if they will award the best smartphone again to Nokia after bagging it last year with the Nokia 808 PureView. Question now is, where's balls of the so called GSMA specialists judging panel?

For a full list of winners and nominations visit: www.globalmobileawards.com

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A Krispy Kreme Holiday Treat From Nokia

Here’s a treat to top off your sweet cravings! When you purchase select models of Nokia Asha or Nokia Lumia smartphone from the Nokia Store in SM Megamall and Robinsons Galleria, Nokia is including an extra holiday treat with a gift certificate from Krispy Kreme!

When you purchase a Nokia Asha 305, Nokia Asha 306, Nokia Asha 309 or Nokia Asha 311, you get a PhP200 gift certificate from Krispy Kreme. If you purchase a Nokia Lumia 610, Nokia Lumia 800 or Nokia Lumia 900, you get a PhP300 gift certificate from Krispy Kreme. The promo is valid from December 15, 2012 to January 15, 2013 only.

The Lumia smartphones brought the Windows Phone OS back in the limelight. Windows Phone is different from other smartphone platforms thanks to Live Tiles, making it easy to see incoming messages and updates; People Hub, which bring together contacts and updates from across social networks into one location, and access to Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer 9 on the mobile. The Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 610 are all multi-awarded phones based on their design and features.

The Nokia Asha models included in this promo are full touch smartphones. Not only is the Asha range affordable, it also offers consumers the smartphone experience without racking up huge data costs. The phones feature the Nokia Xpress Browser, which offers up to 90% data compression, allowing Asha users to experience the power of the Internet at a fraction of the cost of other devices. The Asha range also has 40 free pre-loaded EA games and Nokia Maps which can be used offline, helping save on data costs.

These phones will help you stay connected to what matters most to you and let you satisfy your Krispy Kreme craving.

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Nokia Philippines, To Give 2 Million Pesos Worth of Prizes and a New Year Party with Friends

A celebration like no other to cap a successful year commence as Nokia Philippines doles out 2 Million worth of prizes and a party with friends on New Year's eve via Nokia Year-End Blowout promo.

Get a chance to be one of twelve (12) P15,000 weekly cash prize winners and one of six (6) P100,000 grand prize winners, and win a VIP table for you and your friends on New Year's Eve at Eden, Republiq, Seventh High, Skye, or Vudu, all you have to do is buy any Nokia Asha Smartphone (Nokia Asha 305, 306, 309 or 311) from any of our participating stores between 03 November and 14 December 2012, then use your official receipt to register your purchase online. Easy as 1, 2, 3!

This contest is open to all residents of Luzon (Metro Manila, South Luzon, North Luzon, Central Luzon), Visayas and Mindanao who purchase any of the following Nokia Asha Full-Touch Smartphones within November 03 – December 14, 2012.

- Nokia Asha 311
- Nokia Asha 309
- Nokia Asha 305
- Nokia Asha 306

Participants who purchase any of the above devices within the promo period must register their personal information and official receipt details on the Nokia Year-End Blowout site in order to join this promo. Phones must be purchased only from authorized Nokia Stores and Retail Outlets in the Philippines. A complete list of these stores can be found HERE. Promo Period is from November 03 to December 14, 2012.

So what are you waiting for, go to the nearest Nokia Store or authorized retail outlets now and grab your Nokia Asha touch phone now!

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The Making of the Nokia Asha Touch Range

‘Asha’ means ‘hope’ in Hindi. It can also mean ‘aspiration’. The name reflects the spirit of consumers: the world around them is changing and they view the everyday as a new, exciting opportunity -- an opportunity to express themselves, share experiences, and connect with the people and things that are most important to them.

“At Nokia, we give ourselves the challenge to connect the next billion to the internet,” says Dharmesh Goshalia, Nokia Philippines general manager. “As part of this ambition, we design devices for consumers who want a better experience of the mobile Internet and we also have in mind the people experiencing the web for the very first time. With Asha we are opening up the digital world to everyone, no matter what their circumstances.”

The Asha Touch range was born when Nokia realized just how much the word “social” takes on a new meaning in countries that are growing rapidly. They want new ways to stay connected to the people and networks that matter to them, and their choice of phone should be an extension of how much they value staying in touch and expressing themselves.

“The Asha range is special because, although the phones can be used by anyone, the range was designed with a younger, urban audience in mind,” says Goshalia. “These people are extremely social and always on-the-go. We understand that there’s social currency in having an eye-catching device, and they want the best for their money.”

Not only is the Asha range affordable, it also offers consumers the smartphone experience without racking up huge data costs. The phones feature the Nokia Xpress Browser, which offers up to 90% data compression, allowing Asha users to experience the power of the Internet at a fraction of the cost of other devices.”

The Asha range also has 40 free pre-loaded EA games and Nokia Mapswhich can be used offline, helping save on data costs. The Nokia Asha 305, our Dual-SIM Easy Swap variant, also boasts an external “hotswap” port, where users can easily swap their secondary SIM, meaning they can take advantage of the best call and data plans.

All the features you see on the Asha range are what you would expect to see on a higher-end phone. The sleek body design is accented with quality details, such as the chrome-look band and camera bezel. When you hold the phone in your hand, what stands out is the pure design and the quality feel of the device. The navigation on the Touch range is effortless; just a simple and natural ‘swipe’ to unlock, and the user can swiftly flip through the phone’s features.

Each phone has a different personality which is reflected in its individual design features. The compactly designed Asha 311 with its curved edges and smooth surfaces is perfect for a style-aware generation passionate about fashion, accessories and socializing.

The rich metallics and contrasting bold curves and crisp edges of the Asha 305, Asha 306 and the new Asha309 smartphone reflect the lifestyle, individuality and status of the bold, expressive and energetic consumer. The Asha family even comes in a variety of vibrant, stylish colors harmonized with the phone’s user interface.

In the likelihood that consumers will go for hours without having a way to recharge their phone, the Asha smartphones provide long-lasting battery. The polarized screen means consumers living in the sunniest countries, like the Philippines, can use it without glare and the scratch-resistant glass ensures it can tackle the everyday rigors of busy life.

As a result, the Asha phones have received the highest net promoter scores (NPS), which means consumers would recommend them to their friends and family. Not only that, they were often surprised that a phone range this affordable could do so much for them.

  

Check out the Asha range at a Nokia Store near you.  For product information go to www.nokia.com.ph

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Nokia Asha Touch Phones Getting Zynga Blockbuster Games

Earlier summer, Nokia and Zynga announced their partnership, soon Asha Touch users can enjoy Draw Something popular social drawing and guessing game and Zynga Poker a virtual poker match free to download from Nokia Store.

The announcement reinforces Nokia's commitment to delivering must-have app and gaming experiences to consumers of Nokia Series 40 devices. Nokia Asha Touch users already enjoy a variety of mobile gaming experiences enabled by global partners such as EA, Gameloft, Rovio, NAMCO BANDAI and now, Zynga.

"It's great to expand our offering of Zynga games to deliver more blockbuster titles across our portfolio of mobile devices, giving consumers great choice and tremendous value," said Bryan Biniak, VP & GM, Global Partnering & Application Development, Nokia. "With premium design, powerful hardware and outstanding gaming capabilities,
we're redefining what consumers expect from today's feature phone experience."

Nokia Asha Touch devices have been designed to provide an incredibly rich, fast and engaging experience to consumers:
- The beautifully crafted Nokia Asha 311 is a fast and fluid 3.5G capacitive touchscreen device, powered by a 1GHz processor to provide a great internet experience.
- The bright and edgy Nokia Asha 305 is a fun and affordable phone, featuring the exclusive Easy Swap dual SIM.
- Its sister, the Nokia Asha 306, is a single SIM model, and becomes Nokia's most affordable Wi-Fi handset to date.

The devices feature the new, fully re-designed Asha Touch user interface, which combines proven ease-of-use from Nokia's heritage with new, digital design innovations. The cloud-accelerated Nokia Browser 2.0 makes Internet surfing up to three times faster and 85% cheaper than comparable browsers, and is available to download for free from Nokia Store.

Recently, Nokia Store broke the five billion downloads landmark. From January to April 2012, 42% of all content downloaded from Nokia Store was delivered to Series 40 devices, including the Asha Touch range. To-date, more than 500 Nokia developers have apps which have achieved more than one million downloads, while India Games, Pico Brothers and Inode have all achieved more than 100 million downloads.

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Affordability and entertainment at its finest on the new Nokia Asha Touch Devices

Nowadays, owning a mobile phone is already a necessity rather than a luxury. While they are mainly used as a communication tool, mobile phones have also become a source of entertainment and a preferred way of connecting to the Internet.

However, even in the Philippines, a nation generally regarded as tech-savvy, not everyone gets to enjoy such privileges. This is mostly because smartphones that contain all these features are oftentimes beyond the means of most Filipinos.

Not anymore. Nokia has found an affordable way to help keep Filipinos connected as it introduces the Asha Touch family. Featuring three exciting smartphones that are perfect for young and urban Filipino consumers, the Nokia Asha Touch range, which consists of Nokia Asha 305, Nokia Asha 306, and Nokia Asha 311, offer unique features that promise several ways of entertainment.

“The new Nokia Asha range will bring the most popular smartphone features within the reach of many. We believe that it is not only important to make the phones affordable, but you also have to be able to really make the most of the features they have. It’s part of our global commitment to connect the next billion to the Internet. These are some of the compelling reasons why we came up with the Nokia Asha Touch family, and we hope that just like other Nokia devices, these smartphones will also become fundamental in our consumers’ daily lives,” said Saulo Passos, Nokia’s communication director for mobile phones.

True enough, the Nokia Asha Touch range of smartphones are packed with qualities that will surely give users their money’s worth. Through their design as well as their exciting feature s, you will discover that these phones let you explore endless possibilities.

With one look, one will immediately notice the stylish designs of the Nokia Asha Touch smartphones. Following Nokia’s legacy of having a superb design, Nokia Asha 305, Asha 306 and Asha 311 are beautifully crafted using high-quality materials. They feature a bright, colorful and intuitive touch screen that allows users to experience fun and adventure right at their fingertips. These phones are also available in colors that match your personality or your lifestyle.

But more important than a smartphone’s exterior are its features that tell us what it’s really capable of. Nokia Asha 305, Asha 306 and Asha 311 all have a visually entertaining user interface that’s fun to use. They also come with Nokia’s exclusive offer where you can download 40 EA games for free. This includes all-time favorite titles like Tetris, Bejeweled, Need for Speed and The Run. And if you are done with these games, there are also around 35,000 other apps waiting to be explored.

Nokia Asha Touch smartphones also allow you to keep in touch with your loved ones through email and chat on the most popular instant messaging providers. You can also stay social by accessing your Facebook and Twitter from the preloaded application. Each smartphone is also equipped with Nokia Maps, which helps you discover and get to your new adventures.

All Nokia Asha Touch smartphones also come with the new Nokia Browser, which makes mobile browsing a better experience for all users. With this improved feature, you can now surf the Internet up to three times faster. Nokia Browser also helps you have a cheaper mobile experience as it reduces your data costs by up to 90 percent.

But although they come from the same family, each of the three smartphones has its unique feature. Nokia Asha 305 is the only one among the three which has the Easy Swap Dual SIM technology, which makes it easier for users to manage several SIM cards without the hassle of turning off the device. It is reasonably priced at P3,890 and is available in Red, Mid Blue, Dark Grey and Silver White.

Meanwhile, its sister device, the Nokia Asha 306 provides WLAN, enabling users to say connected even while they’re on the move. Valued at P4,250, it is also Nokia’s most affordable WIFI handset. It also comes in Red, Mid Blue, Dark Grey and Silver White.

The third smartphone, Nokia Asha 311, boasts of a scratch resistant, capacitive glass screen that’s suitable for a fun and easy mobile experience. Aside from being a 3G device, it is also powered by a 1GHz processor which is handy for a greater and even faster Internet experience. It will be available in two colors: Rose Red and Dark Grey.

To know more about each of the three Nokia Asha Touch smartphones, watch these videos.

Nokia 305



Nokia 306



Nokia 311

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Nokia Asha 305 Now In Stores, PhP3,890 (SRP)

I'm again itching for a new dual Sim phone, this time around, the newest member of Nokia's Dual Sim stable, the touch centric Nokia Asha 305. Fun and adventure awaits the soon to be owners as the phone is now selling in major mobilephone shops across the country.

The smartphone is specifically created for the young, urban and aspirational users. It is an entertaining device that’s designed for great browsing experiences, social networking, and fun apps and games. It has a vivid and colorful 3” touch screen that’s quick and responsive and a newly designed Series 40 OS that’s fun, intuitive and easy to use.

It also comes with the exclusive EA (Electronic Arts) Games Pack including 40 free best-selling titles like Tetris, Bejeweled, Need for Speed, The Sims, and Fifa 2012. And if you want more games and apps like WhatsApp and Foursquare, you can find hundreds more at the Nokia Store.

The phone uses the revolutionary Nokia Browser, which is 3x faster than other browsers. Its revolutionary cloud accelerated technology offers up to 85% compression, thereby saving on your data connection costs.

This smartphone makes it fun and easy for you to stay in touch with friends and family through Facebook, Twitter and IM. It comes with a 2MP camera, and a 2GB memory card (expandable to 32GB). It is also a dual SIM phone with an Easy Swap port that makes it easy for you to change SIMs (w/o turning off the phone or removing the battery) and a SIM Card manager that allows you to make the most of all your SIMs (up to 5).

All in all, Nokia Asha 305 gives you a richer, smarter, more engaging experience for only PhP3,890 (SRP). Choose from four different colors: silver white, red, mid blue, and dark grey.

Also, watch out for Nokia Asha 306, the single SIM version of Nokia Asha 305. It will be available in stores towards end of July 2012.

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Nokia Asha 305, The First Full Touch Dual Sim Technical Specs

Nokia leveled up its Dual Sim cluster by offering its hippest and most powerful device yet, the Nokia Asha 305. It is the first full touch Nokia Dual Sim device, the first touch device with easy swap capability, the first to carry a full Nokia Maps among S40 devices, etc. Even with its high end features, the phone only cost 63 Euro, about PhP3,890 locally, a sweet steal for buyers.

Key Features includes:

•Fun to use with its unique and visually entertaining user interface
•Faster and cheaper mobile internet with the Nokia Browser
•40 Free EA games to download and keep forever, titles include Tetris, Bejeweled, Need for Speed The Run and Fifa 2012
•Stay in touch with friends and family with email and chat on the most popular instant messaging providers
•Access your Facebook and Twitter networks from the preloaded social application
•Easy Swap Dual SIM. Change SIMs without turning off your phone
•Discover, share and get there with Nokia Maps included (in select markets)
•Easy PC Connection – plug and play, transfer music and other files

Additional features

•2 MP camera
•Music Player and FM Radio
•Loud and clear inbuilt speaker
•Nokia Life (in selected markets)

Technical Profile

•System: GSM/EDGE Dual Band 900/1800
•User Interface: Asha Touch
•Dimensions: 110.3 mm x 53.8 mm x 12.8 mm (L x W x H)
•Weight: 98.3g (including battery)
•Display: 3.0” WQVGA, resistive touch
•Memory: Up to 10MB internal free user memory; Support up to 32GB Micro SD memory card
•Connectivity: GPRS/EDGE, 2.0 mm Charger Connector, Bluetooth 2.1, Micro USB 2.0 connector, 3.5 mm AV connector, USB charging
•Accelerometer

Operating Times

•Standby time: Up to 22 days
•Talk time: Up to 14 hours

Inbox Colors

•Silver White, Red, Mid Blue and Dark Grey

Standard Sales Package Includes

•Nokia Asha 305 handset
•Nokia Battery BL-4U 1110 mAh
•Nokia Stereo Headset WH-102
•Nokia Compact Charger AC-11 (global)
•2GB Micro SD memory card (global)
•User Guide

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PAC-MAN®, Final Fantasy among the rest of the 22 NAMCO BANDAI Vintage Games heads to Nokia Store!

PAC-MAN®, RIDGE RACER Drift, Flight Control, SOULCALIBUR®, ACE COMBAT NORTHERN WINGS(TM), Final Fantasy, RIDGE RACER® Drift, BRAIN EXERCISE(TM) with Dr. Kawashima - GALAGA® Special Edition, etc., these were just a few famous classic games from BANDAI Games that will start rolling via Ovi Store as Nokia and NAMCO BANDAI announced its partnership.

This is in line with Nokia's augmentation of the Asha touchscreen range, a family of colorful devices with great experiences designed for young, urban and aspirational consumers. Consumers will be able to take advantage of a new touch screen experience that makes mobile web browsing fast, with easy access to social networks and, of course, a great gaming performance.

Among the phones that befits the featured games best are the beautifully crafted Nokia Asha 311, a fast and fluid 3.5G capacitive touchscreen device and powered by a 1GHz processor to provide a great internet experience; the bright and edgy Nokia Asha 305, a fun and affordable phone that features the exclusive Easy Swap dual SIM and its twin device, the Nokia 306, a single SIM model, and becomes Nokia's most affordable Wi-Fi handset to date.

These titles are priced between USD0.99 (PhP40.00) and USD2.99 (PhP)125.00. Mobile gaming fans in more than 52 countries will be able to purchase titles without the need for a credit card, via Nokia's extensive direct billing agreements with over 145 operators.

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Nokia Asha 311, 305 and 306, All Fun, Colorful Range of Browsing, Social Networking and Gaming Touch Phones

Nokia has taken another step towards connecting the next billion consumers by unveiling the Asha Touch family of mobile devices, taking the full touch experience to new price points. The three new phone models - the Nokia Asha 305, Nokia Asha 306 and Nokia Asha 311 - further expand the successful Asha family.

These latest phones have been designed to provide an incredibly rich, smartphone-like experience to consumers who want to be set free from excessive data consumption costs and short battery life. The Nokia Asha 305, Asha 306 and Asha 311 offer a new, fully re-designed touch user interface, combining the proven ease-of-use from Nokia's heritage with digital design innovations specifically fit for the purpose.

The beautifully crafted Nokia Asha 311 is a fast and fluid 3.5G capacitive touchscreen device, powered by a 1GHz processor to provide a great internet experience. The bright and edgy Nokia Asha 305 is a fun and affordable phone, featuring the exclusive Easy Swap dual SIM. Its sister, the Nokia Asha 306, is a single SIM model, and becomes Nokia's most affordable Wi-Fi handset to date.

Great for fast, affordable mobile internet and gaming entertainment
The new devices take full advantage of the Nokia Browser 2.0, a major recent update which uses Nokia's cloud technology to reduce data consumption by up to 90%, meaning that consumers can enjoy faster and cheaper internet access. Web sites load up to three times faster in comparison to devices without cloud-accelerated browsing, making it simple for users to find and select from more than 10,000 web apps available for download. They deliver a richer and more interactive consumer experience whilst using less data than a stand-alone internet connected app.

Consumers can easily stay connected with friends and family at the touch of a button as well as share files and links across their social networks. Furthermore, the Nokia Browser's Download Manager feature helps consumers to manage external content easily, saving music, video or pictures on a memory card, while surfing the internet.

The Asha family is also getting positive support from developers and consumers. Nokia Store has just broken the 5 billion downloads landmark. From January to April, 42% of all content downloaded from Nokia Store was delivered to Asha and other Nokia devices based on the Java ecosystem. Just one year ago, that number was 10%. Also, there are 410 Nokia developers with apps which have achieved more than 1 million downloads. India Games and Pico Brothers just passed 100 million.

As well as providing a great, social online experience, the Nokia Asha 305, Asha 306 and Asha 311 have been created with entertainment in mind. All users will receive an exclusive gift of 40 EA games to download for free* and keep forever. These games range across action, arcade and sports, and include titles such as Tetris®, Bejeweled®, Need for Speed(TM) The Run and EA SPORTS(TM) FIFA 12. The Nokia Asha 311 also comes with 15 levels of Angry Birds pre-loaded onto the phone, perfect for making the most of the touchscreen and 1GHz processor.

The estimated retail price for Nokia Asha 305 is EUR 63 and it's expected to start shipping in the second quarter of 2012. The estimated retail price for Nokia Asha 306 is EUR 68. The Nokia Asha 311 has an estimated retail price of EUR 92. Both devices are expected to start shipping in the third quarter of 2012. Above mentioned prices exclude taxes and subsidies.

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