Nokia Asha 501- Runs on the New Asha Platform

Nokia Asha 501 , the first Asha phone  to run on the new Asha Platform, is available for purchase across East Africa.  Well Nokia is  calling it Smartphone but…

The Asha 501 will be available through retailers across East Africa in black, red and yellow, at the following recommended retail prices:

Kenya:          KES 7,999

Uganda:       UGX 279,900

Tanzania:     TZs 179,900

According to Bruce Howe, general manager Nokia East Africa

“The new Nokia Asha 501 helps people quickly access everything they love with just a simple swipe. Coupled with beautiful design, it’s a smartphone with style and innovation, offered at a great price. It builds on the momentum for Asha smartphones in East Africa, and our continued commitment to provide affordable, yet striking, smartphones for the youth.”

So what is different with Nokia Asha 501, from the other Asha Phones?  The User Interface..

The Nokia Asha 501 works with a simple swipe. Swipe unlocks the phone, closes apps and is used to shift between two screens: ‘Home’ and ‘Fastlane’. Home makes full use of the three-inch capacitive touchscreen, displaying a traditional application launcher. Fastlane is the second screen that adapts to display recent activity on the phone as well as upcoming events, helping people multi-task. Fastlane also supports social integration with Facebook and Twitter, by allowing people to post directly from within Fastlane.