Nokia Asha 308, Asha 309 officially announced: Capacitive touchscreen phones on a budget 
The Nokia Asha family just grew bigger by two phones with the announcement of the Nokia Asha 308 and the Nokia Asha 309.
Just like in the case of the Nokia Asha 305 and Asha 306, these two new Asha phones are basically twins, with one, the Asha 308 to be exact, being a dual-SIM phone while the other, the Asha 309, supporting only one SIM. Other than that, they’re pretty much one and the same.
Both feature a 3-inch capacitive touchscreen, a 2-megapixel cam ‘round the back, none on the front, WiFi, preinstalled with Nokia Maps 2.0 and Nokia’s new speedy Xpress Browser, and like their other brethren in the Asha family, come with free 40 EA games.
No word on local availability and pricing yet, but they did announce both the Asha 308 and 309 will begin shipping in the last quarter of this year with an estimated retail price of just $99, or roughly Php4,136 based on current exchange rates, making this duo from Espoo the most affordable capacitive touchscreen phones to date.
More on these two new Ashas can be found here.
Of course, there’s really more to touchscreen phones than just the touchscreen, but you’ve got to admit, having a capacitive touchscreen does make a world of a difference. If you don’t mind spending a little bit more, the Nokia Asha 311, in my opinion, is a better buy. It not only comes with a much larger capacitive display, it also rocks a 1GHz processor and a better 3.2-megapixel cam as well. But hey, if either of these two new Ashas fit the bill, then by all means, go for it!
Nokia Asha 309 press release follows:
Nokia expands Asha Touch range to offer consumers a smarter Internet experience
The Nokia Asha 309 delivers a full smartphone experience enriched with a new Nokia web service and developer tools
Nokia unveiled the Nokia Asha 309, the latest addition to the Asha Touch family of mobile devices. The Nokia Asha 309 gives consumers fast web access at low cost. To create this smarter Internet experience, Nokia released a new version of Nokia Xpress Browser, which enables up to 90% more efficient mobile browsing and faster access to rich web applications compared to conventional browsers.
The new device offers a fluid ‘swipe’ user interface and an open environment for third-party application development, characteristics that have earned the complete Asha Touch range full smartphone classification from global market research companies and analysts such as GfK and IDC.
“Our innovative Asha Touch family of devices is designed for people who want a great smartphone experience with lower running costs,” said Timo Toikkanen, executive vice president, Mobile Phones, Nokia. “By introducing the Nokia Asha 309, we’re expanding our affordable smartphone lineup and bringing a new mobile experience to more people.”
Nokia estimates the retail price for the Nokia Asha 309 to be about US$99, excluding taxes and subsidies, with shipping expected to start in the fourth quarter 2012.
Nokia’s most affordable capacitive touchscreen device
The Nokia Asha 309 is Nokia’s most affordable capacitive touchscreen device to date. A view shared by independent analysts is that the Asha line represents great smartphones available for less than US$99. “Nokia’s Asha Touch family delivers all the core smartphone experiences, and with the new software developer kit, provides ever-increasing flexibility for developers to build compelling new experiences for consumers,” said Will Stofega, Mobile Phone Program Director, IDC.
The Nokia Asha 309 is a 2G-enabledWiFi device featuring a 3.0’’ WQVGA capacitive display, multiple home screens, stereo radio, loud speakers and up to 32GBmicroSD card support.
The phone also comes with the free* gift of 40 premium EA games, social features such as standalone Facebook and Twitter clients, the Nokia Messaging Service, and video streaming through the browser from sites like YouTube – a first within the Asha Touch range.
New Service and Developer Tools
Nokia also introduced an extension to its Xpress Browser Internet platform, the only cloud-based web browser to support web apps. The Nokia Nearby web app helps people discover new places by searching nearby locations and presenting the options on a map. The service is available via Nokia Xpress Browser or as a feature within Nokia Maps.
In addition to this service, Nokia introduced a new web-based tool that makes it even easier to build new applications. With Nokia Xpress Web App Builder, publishers can create appealing web apps for Asha Touch devices, and even novices can turn their web content into a fun and sophisticated web app for Nokia consumers.
*Data costs may apply.
