Nokia hopes to better compete with low-end Android devices with three new Asha phones, including the Asha 503 with 3G for $99.
The Asha family has become important for Nokia, as its Windows Phone-based Lumia devices are still too expensive to appeal to a broad swathe of consumers in developing countries. But the Asha phones too are under price pressure from low-cost Android-based products, and as a result sales have suffered.
Nokia hopes to change that with the introduction of the Asha 500, 502 and 503, which were all announced at its Nokia World event on Tuesday and will start shipping before the end of the year. The three phones all use an updated version of the user interface the company announced on the Asha 501 earlier this year.
Users can, for example, swipe on the screen to start the camera; long press to access camera settings, and swipe to switch from the image mode to the video mode or vice versa. A key feature in the user interface is Fastlane, which shows recently accessed contacts, social networks and apps. It can now be personalized by users, who can choose what content they want it to show.
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