back to article Nokia adds touch to budget blowers

Nokia expanded its Asha range of budget S40 smartphones today with the 305, 306 and 311, the first three models in the series to feature touchscreen interfaces. The Nokia Asha 311 features a 1GHz processor with a 3in scratch-resistant capacitive touchscreen. There is also a 3.2Mp camera and various pre-installed apps such as …

COMMENTS

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Resistive Touch

    Having experienced Nokia's resistive touch in their N97 I'd keep well clear of another fiasco - no matter how cheap.

    1. Anonymous Coward 101
      Thumb Up

      Re: Resistive Touch

      True, like the N97 this has a resistive screen - but it is also has a considerably faster processor and doesn't have a premium smartphone price tag.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      While the touch screen is not quite the bees knees, it is rather pretty.

      Bit like a pretty girlfriend that you'd rather be seen with but not introduce to your friends because she has a really annoyingly stupid laugh.

    3. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

      Re: Resistive Touch

      Only the 305 and 306 are resistive screens.

      The slightly more expensive 311 uses capacitive multitouch.

      311 also has a WiFi+3G data connection, whereas the 305/306 are 2.5G+WiFi.

      1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

        Re: Resistive Touch

        Incidentally, the 305/306 are still multi-touch capable, despite having resistive screens.

        (thought it was worth mentioning, as I've not seen a multi-touch resistive panel at this kind of price before)

  2. Piloti
    Thumb Up

    Maybe worth a look.....

    Think about this pragmatically.

    A bigger screen than most candy bar devices, an OK Touch interface [not brilliant, but OK] , the menu structure, from the Nokia website seems to be the standard Nokia fare, and if it does the usual Nokia stuff like Multi Tasking, email, sup0er quick typing and predictive text, the usual excellent speakerphone facilities as well as Nokia excellent battery life and radio reception, then for under a hundred quid, this does seem like a bargain.

    OK the previous version of touch screens /may/ have been less then exceptional, but this is not a £500 device. I have to say, for a work 'phone, I'd look at this quite happily.....

    P.

    1. Nigel Whitfield.

      Re: Maybe worth a look.....

      No multi-tasking, I'm afraid, as it's S40, rather than Symbian. And missing out on GPS is a nuisance too, but if you can live with those limitations - and many will be able to - then yes, these potentially offer much of what many users will want, without the traditional smartphone drawbacks.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Maybe worth a look.....

        "missing out on GPS is a nuisance too"

        Probably worthwhile someone knocking out a Java program to interrogate Google location service with the locally visible WiFi. (Assuming the next release of Opera Mini won't already do that.)

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No UK availability for Asha 305?

    (According to the Availability map in the link)

    Totally nuts as it looked like the only Nokia I'd be interested in buying.

    1. James 51

      Re: No UK availability for Asha 305?

      It is difficult to get your hands on dual sim phones in the UK but there's a lot that have popped up on amazon uk recently.

  4. CJ Bill
    Boffin

    Designed for, and aimed at, emerging markets

    Hence low low prices and UK unavailability.

  5. Dan 55 Silver badge
    Thumb Down

    I can't imagine the Moderatrix (RIP) doing that...

    Deleting two posts quite correctly pointing out the same error as in a previous article here and the article silently edited...

    Bad form, Reg.

    1. Mike Taylor

      Re: I can't imagine the Moderatrix (RIP) doing that...

      Simply not cricket. Bad, bad El Reg.

  6. Andy Hards
    Thumb Up

    There might be some money

    in buying them up in emerging markets and selling them here. SIM free phones seems to be getting far more popular with people these days sick of getting stuck with 2 year contracts or PAYG with increasingly worse prices. Most do one month contracts these days so why not take advantage of whoever is cheapest every few months?

    And as for the 1st AC, I thought it said quite clearly that the phones are capacitive not resistive.

  7. Philippe
    Go

    Looks like Nokia isn't dead yet.

    Those Asha are actually quite good.

    We have just validated the 302 as our corporate entry model as a replacement for the C2-01. (For those employees not entitled to an iPhone).

    What people wants, if they cannot afford or don't want a smartphone, is a cheap and reliable device with a bunch of features.

    This foot the bill perfectly and the Brand still has value.

    I see more future for Nokia in selling those than their Lumia range. Who wants a Windows Phone anyway?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Brainfade

    Do I want resistive or capacitive?

    I can't seem to recall what one works for me :(

    1. Philippe

      Re: Brainfade

      That would be the capacitive.

      Restrictive is only good for stylus use which isn't any good.

      1. Robert Forsyth

        Re: Brainfade

        The 5800 had a resistive touch screen, and that was fine - you have to press a bit harder, but you can use thumb, finger nail, pen top, built in stylus - the resolution of the touch is said to be good enough for Chinese character recognition.

  9. DangerousQ
    Alien

    Nokia corrupted by Microsoft in the English Markets?

    Looks like people are finding the lack of Ashas in UK similar to my problem.

    I wanted a Nokia 701, not a Lumia or the very small 700.

    For some insane reason the 701 is only available from mainland Europe. Why? Because it owns all Windows phones made by Nokia and Microsoft know it (even the lumia 900 imho). I am convinced MS have paid Nokia to not make it available in their prime WinPho markets of UK and US. Looks like the same is being done with the Ashas. In the end I imported the 701 from amazon.de for 300 euros. This phone does not disappoint and is everything a good Nokia has always been. Even Belle is up their with Android for usability. Anyone looking for a capable do everything 3.5" handset should check this phone out.

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