Nokia on Wednesday unveiled its first Windows Phone for the Chinese market, the Lumia 800C. The handset is slated to launch in April exclusively on China Telecom. “We’re excited to introduce our first Lumia smartphone, the Nokia 800C, to this important market with our exclusive launch partner, China Telecom. Working closely together, we’ve created a compelling, locally relevant experience on the Nokia 800C especially tailored for people in China,” Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said. The Lumia 800c features a 3.7-inch AMOLED ClearBlack curved display, with a 1.4 GHz single-core processor, hardware acceleration and a separate processor for graphics. The device is also equipped with an 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera and 16GB of internal storage, and it will be available in cyan or black. The Lumia 800C will be offered without a contract for 3599 Chinese yuan, equal to roughly $570. Nokia’s press release can be found after the break.
China Telecom and Nokia launch first CDMA Windows Phone in China
Stunning new Lumia smartphone, Nokia 800C, makes everyday moments extraordinary for China Telecom subscribers
Beijing, China – Today China Telecom and Nokia announced the Nokia 800C, the first CDMA Windows Phone in China and Nokia’s first Lumia phone for the world’s largest smartphone market. The Nokia 800C combines head-turning design and the fastest way to connect to the people, places and things that matter most, in an experience uniquely tailored for people in China on the country’s leading 3G network.
“We’re excited to introduce our first Lumia smartphone, the Nokia 800C, to this important market with our exclusive launch partner, China Telecom. Working closely together, we’ve created a compelling, locally relevant experience on the Nokia 800C especially tailored for people in China,” said Stephen Elop, CEO of Nokia.
Wang Xiaochu, Chairman of China Telecom, expressed his enthusiasm for Nokia Lumia: “This grand launch for China’s first CDMA Windows Phone represents our optimism and excitement for the future of Windows Phone and Nokia Lumia in China.”
The partnership between China Telecom and Nokia extends beyond the Nokia 800C with the addition of Nokia’s most affordable Lumia smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 610 also arriving in a CDMA variant to China Telecom’s portfolio in Q2 2012. The Nokia 610C is targeted at a more youthful audience and provides a perfect introduction to Windows Phone with access to the same core signature experiences as the rest of the Lumia range in a package optimized for quality.
Nokia 800C
The Nokia 800C makes it easy to stay in touch with the people that matter most, get instant access to the Web and all the top applications in the Windows Phone Marketplace. Offered by China Telecom in black and cyan, the Nokia 800C features a reduced body design flowing seamlessly into the 3.7″ AMOLED ClearBlack curved touchscreen display. With a 1.4 GHz processor, hardware acceleration and a separate graphics processor, it also features an instant-share 8 Mpx camera with exclusive Carl Zeiss optics, HD video playback, 16GB of internal user memory and SkyDrive storage for accessing pictures and files from anywhere.
The Nokia 800C brings signature Nokia experiences optimized for Windows Phone and available only on Lumia:
– Nokia Maps, providing quick-access, superior, three-dimensional maps in China and over 190 countries worldwide, as well as the ability to discover the top places nearby with local content support from Fantong, Jiepang, Ctrip, Qunar and Soufun. People can easily click on the places to see photos, recommendations and information and quickly dial restaurants to make a reservation.
– Nokia Drive, which delivers a full-fledged personal navigation device with free, voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation for over 100 countries including China, a dedicated in-car user-interface, free offline navigation and speed notifications.– Nokia Music which offers a single hub experience for discovering the latest music, including unlimited free music for 12 months for consumers in mainland China. It also includes MixRadio, a free, global, mobile music-streaming application that delivers hundreds of channels of locally-relevant music, including the ability to listen to music offline and build personalized mixes for listening to favourite music from any location.
Exclusive applications and services for a uniquely local experience
China Telecom and Nokia have worked closely together to bring integrated China Telecom services that target young people including music, games, videos, and integrated reading apps right onto the Nokia 800C home screen. To reach this target market, the Nokia 800C will be featured prominently in Tianyi FlyYoung shops, a distribution arm and new, youth-centered sub-brand of China Telecom.People purchasing Nokia Lumia smartphones in China will have access to exclusive applications such as magazines from Trends and special offers for free downloads of popular gaming titles such as Fruit Ninja and PVZ.
– Trends, a provider of highly interactive fashion magazine applications, will launch Cosmopolitan first forNokia Lumia smartphones and provide people using a Nokia Lumia phone with free access to For Him Magazine (FHM), Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire magazines in Marketplace, opening today.
– As an added incentive for people using a Nokia Lumia smartphone in China, Nokia will soon offer 100,000 free downloads of the hit gaming titles Fruit Ninja and PVZ through the Nokia Collection in Marketplace.
Nokia and Microsoft also announced the Be Top program, which is designed to encourage and support developers in creating great new applications on Windows Phone specifically for people in China.
These exciting offers and the BeTop development program illustrate Nokia’s commitment to the local ecosystem of application developers and service providers. Through joint innovation with leading local providers, Nokia is able to offer Lumia users access to all major Internet services in China including Sina, SOHU, Tencent and Renren. When paired with the choice of nearly 20,000 apps available for download through Marketplace, people using a Nokia Lumia smartphone in China can create a truly personalized and locally relevant experience on their device.
Availability and Pricing
The Nokia 800C will be available for purchase in April through Tianyi FlyYoung shops, a distribution channel of China Telecom; Nokia brand stores; China’s top chain electronics stores including Suning, Gome, Funtalk, D.Phone, and CentreYou, as well as regional channels and online shops such as 189.cn and hicdma.com. The Nokia 800C is offered without contract for 3599 RMB.
