Nokia unveils array of new smart phones at Barcelona event

 The Finnish mobile-phone maker introduced a broad range of new products at the four-day Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, Spain, which ended on Thursday. The products are aimed at both the high-end and mid-tier market segments and are expected to begin shipping to global markets in the second quarter.

Its headline-making devices at the fair included the Nokia 808 PureView, boasting a large, high-resolution 41-megapixel sensor, Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia-developed pixel over-sampling technology, to enable its users to make sharp, detailed images. The gear also offers the capability to save images in compact file sizes for quick sharing via e-mail or social networks.
While the 808 PureView runs on the Symbian operating system, its imaging technology will make its way to Nokia devices based on the Windows Phone operating system in the future, said Ilari Nurmi, vice president for smart-device product marketing.
He added that the combination of the three elements in the Nokia 808 PureView – the high-resolution sensor, Nokia-developed algorithms, and the Carl Zeiss optics – enabled the company to bring a new revolution to the mobile market.
Nokia also introduced the affordable Nokia Lumia 610 to add to its existing Windows Phone-powered series, the Lumia 710, 800 and 900. The 610 aims to tap the teen segment. Nokia also announced that it would make its high-end Lumia 900 available to additional markets beyond the United States.
“One year ago, we shared that Nokia was embarking on a new journey to build great mobile devices,” Stephen Elop, president and chief executive officer of Nokia, said at the fair. “Today, with our fourth Lumia device, smarter mobile phones and an array of new services, we are demonstrating that we can change the clock speed of Nokia.”
The company also introduced its new Asha series, the Nokia Asha 302, 202 and 203, at the fair to tap the mid-tier market further.
Speaking at a separate event, Grant McBeath, managing director of Nokia Thailand and emerging Asia, said: “We’re very excited about the new product road map, and we look forward to announcing [it] to the Thai people when we will bring these devices to Thailand.
“We believe that the Nokia 808 PureView will appeal to certain segments of the Thai market and it will carry on Nokia’s legacy of developing the best imaging devices on the market.”
Nokia’s competitors also unveiled new, appealing smart phones at the Mobile World Congress. McBeath said the rate of development in smart phones was very fast currently, which made it very exciting for consumers.