Microsoft
has released a 19 euro ($25) ultra-low-cost phone in an aggressive push to
capture more sales in the fast-growing emerging markets.
Microsoft expects to begin shipping the
so-called "feature phone" device in the third quarter of this year
and will only be available in select markets such as India, China, and Nigeria.
"It
is estimated that at least 1 billion people in the world still do not have a
mobile phone, while at the same time there is increasing demand for reliable
backup phones in both mature and high-growth markets," Jo Harlow,
corporate vice president for phones at Microsoft, said in a press release.
Specs
The Nokia
130 has a 1.8 inch screen, USB charging with the ability to use one or two SIM
cards - a function that has proved popular. The battery can last up to 36 days
on standby and has Bluetooth capabilities, but no internet function.
Low-end smartphone shipments are expected to
hit 1.1 billion in 2018, growing at an annual rate of 19.1 percent, according
to IHS, and Microsoft's latest "feature phone" offering is likely to
be successful in the absence of cheap smartphone competition, analysts said.
"What it is really doing is bringing
music playback and video to a price point it has never been before to ensure it
stays ahead and to make sure there is no feature gap between this phone and its
other low cost offerings," Daniel Gleeson, mobile analyst at IHS, said in
a phone interview.
"At the moment you do have some
smartphones that are under $30, but they are very slow, the touch screen isn't
very responsive, and the ability for those phones to run most apps is very
limited."
(Source: entrepreneur.com)
