New ‘Lumia’ Nokia Smartphones Are Beautiful and Pack a Low-Cost Punch

While four of the six unveiled Nokia smartphones are meant for worldwide emerging markets like the Middle East and parts of Asia, two of them come packed with features essential to the smartphone experience, at a reduced price.

The Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 Nokia smartphones feature not only the latest ‘Mango’ updates, but have three exclusive features. Nokia Drive is a turn-by-turn navigation app that provides all the fixings that we’ve seen with smartphone GPS technology, but will also feature offline maps so that you can save and access directions without network or WiFi connection. Nokia music has a feature called Mix Radio that plays pre-set mixes. And for those whose fancy does not lie with cell phone covers or cell phone charms, there’s ESPN Sports Hub, exclusive to the Nokia smartphones.

However, there are downsides to the phones such as a lack of a front-facing camera. Kevin Tofel of GigaOM notes that ‘while this trio of software features adds appeal to Nokia’s new smartphones, I had expected a greater level of Nokia feature integration in Windows Phone. That impression came from the Nokia-Microsoft deal as both companies alluded to deeper software collaboration. Perhaps this will change in time, but from a software perspective, other Windows Phone makers should still compete well with the new Lumias, even without the Nokia software exclusives.’

Tofel does commend Nokia’s consistency with hardware design and durability, noting the elegance seen with five available colors and a sleek yet tight design. Keep an eye out for their release date, as Nokia smartphones may prove to the wireless market that high-end ultra-smartphones with their steep price points are not the only way to be mobile.