Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has launched its range of Qwerty devices, whose keypad is like that of a computer keyboard, starting at Rs 5,300.

It has also launched an improved version of Nokia Messaging with free push mail service.

Nokia Messaging aggregates multiple email accounts through one client. It can support and mobilise up to 10 email accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, Rediffmail, Sify and Indiatimes among others.

Nokia today launched three devices — C3, priced at Rs 5,317.89 (Euro 90), C6 — a touch and full keyboard phone — at Rs 13,000 (Euro 220), while E5 is priced at Rs 10,634 (Euro 180), a business-cum-entertainment device.

Nokia, which is the market leader in India has been facing competition from home grown mobile manufacturers in the low-end mobile segment.

Players like Micromax and Olive have already launched Qwerty keypad phones with a price tag of Rs 2,000.

However, when asked whether Nokia is responding to the competition with the new launch, the company’s Executive Vice President Anssi Vanjoki said, “It is a strategic option for Nokia. With the new devices we are bringing mobile messaging and social networking into the hands of more people.”

With the free push mail service, Nokia is also trying to tap the mobile email users in India.

“People are looking at messaging services as an enhanced business tool. There are six million mail users on mobile in India. The number is expected to touch 130 million in 2014,” Nokia India Managing Director and Vice President D Shivakumar said.

India is among the top five countries for the service and we are confident that with our decision to offer it free of cost, we will see a significant surge in adoption of email and messaging services in the country, he added.

The service will be available through all leading operators in the country and consumers will only have to pay the basic data download charges.

It has over three million active users in more than 100 countries today.

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Skype and Nokia have jointly announced the release of Skype for Symbian, a Skype client for Nokia smartphones based on the Symbian platform. Skype for Symbian will allow Nokia smartphone users worldwide to use Skype on the move, over either a WiFi or mobile data connection (GPRS, EDGE, 3G). It is now downloadable for free from the Ovi Store.

“With Symbian’s global reach, Skype is that much closer to becoming the ubiquitous real-time communications platform for hundreds of millions of Symbian-based mobile users.”

Skype for Symbian enables Nokia smartphone users to:
•Make free Skype-to-Skype calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world*
•Save money on calls and texts (SMS) to phones abroad.
•Send and receive instant messages to and from individuals or groups
•Share pictures, videos and other files.
•Receive calls to their existing online number
•See when Skype contacts are online and available to call or IM
•Easily import names and numbers from the phone’s address book

Skype for Symbian will run on any Nokia smartphone using Symbian ^1, the latest version of the Symbian platform. Skype will soon introduce this client to Symbian mobile devices from other manufacturers, including Sony Ericsson.

The initial Skype for Symbian application is compatible with the following Nokia touchscreen models: Nokia N97, Nokia N97 mini, Nokia X6, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and Nokia 5530 and the following non-touch devices: Nokia E72, Nokia E71, Nokia E90, Nokia E63, Nokia E66, Nokia E51, Nokia N96, Nokia N95, Nokia N95 8Gb, Nokia N85, Nokia N82, Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8 Gb, Nokia N79, Nokia N78, Nokia 6220 classic, Nokia 6210 Navigator, Nokia 5320.

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