Nokia is expected to unveil a new, cheaper smartphone using Microsoft’s Windows Phone software, targeting a wider market for its new range of smartphones. Cheaper phones are the key for Nokia and Microsoft in their battle to win a larger share of the market, analysts say.
In addition to the new Lumia 610 Nokia will also unveil at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona a global version of its high-end Lumia 900 phone, which AT&T is scheduled to roll out in the US the sources said. Nokia is set to unveil the phones at a news conference next Monday, on Feb 27, in MWC, Barcelona.
Samsung is also on operation : Widen The Portfolio spree, to target all the segments of smartphones. Samsung has announced two mid-range smartphones, Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy Mini 2, running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. These two devices are the upgraded versions of two existing Samsung smartphones – Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Mini respectively. Both smartphones are expected to be made available globally post March this year.
Galaxy Ace 2 could be the first affordable dual-core smartphone. The Galaxy Ace 2 will feature 3.8-inch touchscreen PLS TFT display which is slightly better LCD quality panel with support for WVGA (480×800) resolution. Internally, it will house a dual-core mobile processor clocked at 800 MHz. The Galaxy Ace 2 has been equipped up with 768 MB memory and has been given modern day features such as WiFi Direct.
The Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 comes with a 5 megapixel camera with auto focus as well as flash at the back. This camera is capable of recording 720p HD video and has a VGA camera in the front for video calls. Samsung has also added Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS that supports both normal set of GPS satellites and also the GLONASS network, which would ensure more accurate location locking.
Galaxy Mini 2 comes with a single-core 800 MHz mobile processor inside and features 3.27-inch HVGA touchscreen display. This smartphone has higher clock speed bearing processor, more RAM, bigger battery and Bluetooth 3.0, HVGA 320×480 pixel resolution supporting screen and a 3 megapixel camera with fixed focus at the back that can capture images.
For some regions, Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy Mini 2 configurations will also feature Near Field Communication chip that would help users pair and share content with other NFC enabled devices with just a tap. Samsung has not clarified the pricing of these handsets and is expected to make these available in second half of this year.
Lot of interesting developments will take place in MWC in Barcelona and in coming days. Keep reading!
