JAKARTA, Indonesia, November 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Life Tools, the service which gives consumers in small towns and rural areas the ability to get a range of livelihood and life- improvement services on their mobile phones, will launch in Indonesia in early December 2009. Nokia also announced five new affordable and easy- to-use phones which will support Nokia Life Tools, and these phones will also be available globally.
"Following the successful launch of Nokia Life Tools in India, where people are getting the benefits of vital information sent directly to their mobile phones, we are pleased to bring this service to consumers in Indonesia," said Dieter May, Vice President, Emerging Markets, Nokia. "Inform, Involve, Empower - the vision of Nokia Life Tools - applies no matter where it's implemented. With the number of devices that Nokia Life Tools supports, including the five new phones we are announcing today, we are giving people the solution that suits them the most."
Five new mobile phones designed for consumers in emerging markets
With affordability and ease of use as the cornerstones of solutions for emerging markets, the five new Nokia phones - Nokia 1280, Nokia 1616, Nokia 1800, Nokia 2220 slide and Nokia 2690 - support Nokia Life Tools, and bring with them all the features that consumers around the world have come to expect.
Priced at EUR 20, EUR 24 and EUR 26 respectively (before taxes and subsidies), the Nokia 1280, Nokia 1616 and Nokia 1800 support FM radio, prepaid tracker, flashlight, anti-scratch cover and dust-resistant keymat, among other features. The long battery life, with up to 22 days of standby time, is vital for people in areas where access to electricity is limited.
The Nokia 2220 slide and the Nokia 2690, priced at EUR 45 and EUR 54 (before taxes and subsidies), also support email on the device through Ovi Mail, giving people in developing markets their first digital identity directly from their handsets. Ovi Mail accounts can be created on the device and people can start sending and receiving emails without ever needing a PC. Other device features include FM radio, VGA camera, GPRS and MMS support, phone books for up to 1,000 contacts, and Bluetooth. Standby times for the Nokia 2220 slide and Nokia 2690 are about 20 days and 13 days respectively.
The first of the five new mobile phones will begin shipping before the end of 2009, with others expected to start shipping in the first half of 2010.
Nokia Life Tools in Indonesia
Nokia Life Tools will be available across Indonesia from early December 2009, with the Agriculture service available for Java and Sumatra at the first stage, and Education and Entertainment services available nation-wide.
Consumers will be able to subscribe to Agriculture, Education and Entertainment information and content. Nokia is collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture (Departemen Pertanian Republik Indonesia), the Center of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG), Synovate and other industry partners to bring valuable agriculture information, prices, news and tips directly to consumers.
The Agriculture service will be available for commodities beginning with crops, livestock, horticulture and fisheries. Consumers will be able to subscribe to three of the most commonly grown commodities in their region. Also included in the Agriculture component are weather services, price services, and frequent agriculture news and tips.
The Education service features Learn English, General Knowledge and Test Preparation. Learn English has three levels of expertise with focus on English language fundamentals. General Knowledge will be primarily related to the province where one lives, as well as containing information at the national and international levels. Test Preparation will offer services at the Junior High School and Senior High School levels.
The Entertainment service features a range of mobile entertainment content, including news, music, comics, jokes, astrology, movie news and reviews. The content will be available to consumers via subscription and/or on-demand.
At launch, customers of Telkomsel, Indosat, XL and Hutch (3) will be able to subscribe to Nokia Life Tools services. Nokia Life Tools will first be available on the Nokia 2323 classic, Nokia 2330 classic and Nokia 2700 classic in Indonesia. Aside from the 11 handsets which will come pre-loaded with Nokia Life Tools, the service will become downloadable on more phones later.
Nokia Life Tools services use an icon-based, graphically rich user interface that comes complete with tables and which displays information simultaneously in two languages. Behind this rich interface that comes out of the box on all Life Tools-enabled handsets, SMS is used to deliver the critical information to ensure that this service works wherever a mobile phone works, without the hassles of additional settings or the need for GPRS coverage.
More information about Nokia Life Tools in Indonesia can be found at http://www.nokia.co.id/nokialifetools.
About Nokia
Nokia is a pioneer in mobile telecommunications and the world's leading maker of mobile devices. Today, we are connecting people in new and different ways - fusing advanced mobile technology with personalized services to enable people to stay close to what matters to them. We also provide comprehensive digital map information through NAVTEQ; and equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.
http://www.nokia.com
SOURCE Nokia Corporation
