Despite previous proclamations that alluded to Microsoft’s newly integrated Nokia division moving away from basic and feature phones to focus completely on Lumia Windows Phone smart devices, the company has announced the Nokia 130, one of the latest basic phones that will run the Series 30 platform with additional extensions for media playback and support for memory expansion. The bar phone features a 1.8-inch display, stereo headphone jack, Bluetooth 3.0, and support for memory cards up to 32GB but omits data access.
According to Microsoft, the Nokia 130 supports both video and audio playback, and includes an FM radio as well as an LED flashlight. The Nokia 130 will reach select markets starting this quarter with a focus on Africa and Asia, specifically China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam. Pricing is expected to be about $25 and it will be sold in single- and dual-SIM versions to reflect the local demand for such devices in those markets.
It seems that by killing Series 40, Microsoft spared Series 30. It sounds like Windows Phone 8 on the Snapdragon 200 is their Series 40 replacement… but I’m surprised, as 200 chips only rival Series 40 phone prices in US/UK where the prepaid carriers subsidize the device costs.
By killing Series 40 and sparing Series 30, Microsoft has left quite a gap with the $50 to $100 phone market (again, outside the USA where Windows does fill that audience).
It’ll be really interesting to see if these Series 30 devices get Skype working well, and other MS services.