The new Nokia C2 budget phone with six hours of battery life and dual SIM capability is aimed at the African market. Dual SIM has a number of uses, but the mobile money industry will be most interested in the ability it affords to have accounts with more than one financial services offering.
Launched as part of a trio of Cseries phones at an event in Kenya

The most affordable of the Nokia C1 trio (C1-00) is priced at EUR 30 before taxes and subsidies and is the first Nokia mobile phone to feature a 2-in-1 double SIM solution.

“By simply holding down a key, people
are able to switch between SIM cards.
This enables them to take advantage of
reduced call rates, flexibility when
travelling from one country to
another, or helps with sharing a phone
within a family and still use their
own SIM,”

said Alex Lambeek, Vice President at Nokia. “This is a great added convenience feature considering the low price of the phone.”
Nokia C1 owners will also benefit from 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 sometimes limited. The standard flashlight – often someone’s only means of bright light – is paired with a vivid colour screen and FM radio with standard headphone jack.

The Nokia C2 features a dual SIM with dual standby capability. Along with the many capabilities of the Nokia C1, the Nokia C2 can also keep both SIM cards active; meaning calls and text messages can come to either number while the phone is on. The first SIM card on the Nokia C2 sits underneath the battery and the second is ‘hot-swappable’, a feature unique to Nokia which means it can be removed and inserted when the phone is on.
Where available, the Nokia C2 also offers 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, people’s favorite consumer email and chat accounts can be pushed direct to the phone via Nokia Messaging. Listening to music is simple with the FM radio and music player, with a massive amount of music storage with the phone supporting micro-SD cards of up to 32GB.
The second and third devices in the Nokia C1 family (C1-01 and C1-02) are both single SIM products, and Nokia’s most affordable devices offering microSD compatibility and a VGA camera

New alternative charging solution debuts

Providing free and environmentally friendly electricity for mobile phones, the Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit consists of a charger and dynamo, as well as a holder to secure the phone to the bike. When the kit is installed, the dynamo – a small electrical generator – uses the movement of the wheels to charge the handset through the standard 2mm charging jack used in most Nokia mobile phones. Lambeek continued,

“You must look at a number of things
when it comes to power management –
such as ensuring the phone’s operating
system is as power-efficient as
possible. Now, with our innovative
bike charger, people get even more
freedom to use their Nokia without
worrying about battery life. Bicycles
are the most widespread means of
transport in many markets around the
world, so this is just one more
benefit to be gained from an activity
people are already doing. This is a
great solution to a real challenge,
whether people will use it due to
limited access to electricity, or to
be more environmentally responsible.”

The kit will be available before the end of the year in selected retailers and Nokia online and branded retail. A similar solution as proposed by Motorola three years ago
The estimated retail prices of the new Nokia mobile phones, before taxes and subsidies, are:

  • Nokia C1 (C1-00) EUR 30
  • Nokia C1 (C1-02) EUR 35
  • Nokia C1 (C1-01) EUR 39
  • Nokia C2 (C2-00) EUR 45

The Nokia C1 (C1-00) is expected to ship in the third quarter of 2010, with the Nokia C1 (C1-01) in the early fourth quarter, and the Nokia C1 (C1-02) and Nokia C2 towards the end of the fourth quarter 2010.