Nokia C1 and C2 are expected to be priced between (Rs. 1,700 to 2,500)
World's largest phone maker Nokia has been famous for not making dual SIM phones. Well, not any longer! The company has announced a bunch of low-cost phones, including dual SIM handsets, starting at EUR 30. These new devices are slated to arrive on sale later this year in Africa and Asia.
The four new devices launched belong to Nokia's low cost C-Series of handsets. Out of these, two are dual SIM handsets while two are single SIM solutions. The C2 and the C1-00 are the dual SIM handsets.
Along with the C2, three new single SIM phones under the C1 name have been announced. As mentioned earlier, one of the C1 phones is a two-in-one dual SIM phone. The C2 is expected to go on sale by the fourth quarter of 2010.
The most affordable of the Nokia C1 trio (C1-00) is priced at EUR 30 and is the first Nokia mobile phone to feature a 2-in-1 double SIM solution. This phone can take in two SIM cards but only one would be active at any given point of time. Users can switch from one SIM to another with the flick of a switch. The C1 offers users a standby battery time of up to six weeks, the longest ever for a Nokia mobile phone, especially useful in those parts of the world where access to electricity is limited. The utilitarian nature of the phone is highlighted by the presence of a flashlight that can help people wade through darkness should he be in one of the remote corners of the planet where there is no electricity. The entire C1 range comes with color displays, FM Radio and a standard headphone jack.
As for the other two members of the C1 family, they are single IM devices (C1-01 and C1-02) and are Nokia's most affordable devices offering microSD compatibility supporting up to 32GB of memory.
Nokia C1-01
Both new devices boast of color screens, web browsing over GPRS and access to Nokia web services such as Nokia Messaging. The C1-01 has a VGA camera and is capable of video recording as well.
Nokia C1-02
As for the C2, it happens to be a "real" dual SIM phone where both the SIM cards would be active. The first SIM card on the Nokia C2 sits underneath the battery and the second is 'hot-swappable', a feature unique to Nokia. This means the second SIM card can be removed and inserted when the phone is on. Apart from being dual SIM, the C2 will also offer its users a wide range of information covering healthcare, agriculture, education and entertainment via Nokia's Ovi Life Tools, as well as the email account for the developing world, Ovi Mail. In addition to Ovi Mail, it also supports Nokia Messsaging - making the C2 a very capable entry level phone. It has an FM radio and music player and guess what? It can take microSD cards of up to 32GB!
