Tuesday, 22 October 2013

Nokia unveils first Lumia phablets, tablet

ABU DHABI: Finnish manufacturer Nokia today entered two new segments, unveiling its first tablet and phablets. The new products, showcased at an event in Abu Dhabi, will help the company make its presence felt in the two booming markets.

Nokia Lumia 2520 is a Windows RT-based tablet with a 10-inch 1080p HD display with Gorilla Glass 2 protection. It has a 6.7MP rear camera with Zeiss lens and 2MP front unit. It runs on the 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and has 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage; it also supports microSD cards up to 32GB.

Other key features of the device include 4G LTE connectivity, 8,000mAh battery and free SkyDrive storage. It comes preloaded with free apps like Nokia's Storyteller and Video Director as well Microsoft Office. The tablet will come in red, white, cyan and black colours. Similar to Microsoft Surface, Lumia 2520 pairs with a Nokia Power Keyboard. The keyboard with a touchpad also contains an extra battery for up to five hours extra use, plus two USB ports.

The Windows RT 8.1 device priced at $499 will ship later this year. The tablet will first launch in the US, UK, and Finland, followed by other countries shortly after.

Nokia Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1320 are its first phablets, with screens measuring 6-inch. Both devices run on Microsoft Windows Phone 8 operating system with the recently unveiled GDR3 update. Lumia 1520 has been priced at $749, while Lumia 1320 will cost $339, excluding taxes.

The new Lumia 1520 has a Full HD (1920x1080p resolution) display and is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset. It sports a 20MP PureView camera with OIS and has 2GB RAM, 32GB expandable storage, 3,400mAh battery and NFC. It will compete against the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note 3, HTC One Max and Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Apple is also said to be testing a handset with 6- inch display.

Lumia 1320, on the other hand, is an affordable phablet with a 720p display. It runs on a dual-core Krait processor unlike Lumia 1520's quad-core chip and has 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and supports microSD cards up to 64GB. The 4G LTE-enabled phablet has a 5MP rear camera and a VGA front-facing unit.

Powered by a 3,400mAh battery, this device will be available in orange, yellow, black and white colours. Nokia Lumia 1320 will launch early next year in China and Vietnam, followed by more Asian and European countries. It will take on rival products like Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Huawei Ascend Mate.

Nokia also announced that popular imaging app Instagram is coming to Windows Phone platform in coming weeks.

The event also saw the new range of Asha smart feature phones being introduced, namely Asha 500, Asha 502 and Asha 503.

Nokia Asha 500 comes both in single and dual-sim variants and sports a 2.8-inch screen. It has a 2MP rear camera and is powered by a 1,200mAh battery. The phone will ship for $69 in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Middle East.

Nokia Asha 502 is a dual-sim handset with a 3-inch screen and 5MP rear camera with LED flash. Powered by a 1,010mAh battery, this device will ship for $89 in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East.

Both these Asha phones have Wi-Fi and 2G connectivity and can support up to 32GB microSD card.

The third entrant to the range Asha 503 has both single and dual-sim variants. It sports a 3-inch display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and a 5MP camera with LED flash. It is the only Asha handset to have 3G connectivity, along with 2G and Wi-Fi. Other features include support for microSD cards up to 32GB and 1,200mAh battery. The phone will ship for $99 in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

All three devices will come in bright red, bright green, yellow, cyan, white and black colours. The company also announced that Asha 500, 501, 505 and 520 will get the popular messaging platform WhatsApp.

After the Microsoft deal, which is due to close in the first quarter of next year, the new products will still carry the Nokia brand but become part of Microsoft's drive to become a major player in global consumer devices.

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