Introducing an Affordable Smartphone, the Nokia C5

The world's leading mobile phone maker Nokia has just announced a new candybar smartphone that starts the C-series product portfolio that focuses on the social networking capability in mobile phones. This is the Nokia C5 that didn't figure in the 2010 Mobile World Congress despite getting some product leaks in the online rumor corridors weeks before the event.

At a glance, it has a unique light-colored metallic look that can be a stand-out among candybar handset, whether smart or not. But don't expect anything else when up close. If it didn't come with the Symbian S60 v3.2 OS, we could have sworn it was just an ordinary feature phone.

Standard Features Up Close

Pitched as a social networking handset, the C5 is endowed with some new features to prove its worth among the SNS crowd. It comes with a new phonebook feature that allows you to see who among your contacts are your Facebook friends and you can do direct updates from there.

You get a GPS receiver with Ovi Maps that allows location sharing with your Facebook pals. You get to see three of your favorite friends on the homescreen for instant calling and messaging. You also get to share your phone's media content in SNS, online forums and media sharing sites like YouTube and Flickr as well as download all the apps you need form the Ovi Store

All these social networking and media file sharing would be a pain to do if not for its 10 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA data connectivity on the 3G dual band UMTS network. International roaming is also standard with its quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio on the 2G network. There's WiFi for hotspot surfing but you still get local data connectivity support with Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and microUSB 2.0.

Its slim and narrow body measuring just 112 x 46 x 12.3 mm accommodates a mere 2.2 inch QVGA TFT LCD screen with 16 million colors. Imaging gets a 3.2 megapixel fixed focus camera with LED flash, 15fps VGA video recording and a secondary 3G video call camera.

Entertainment on the road gets the usual media playback support for popular audio and video files and stereo FM radio with RDS. Your listening options include a built-in set of stereo speakers, a 3.5mm AV jack for wired headsets and the Bluetooth A2DP for wireless stereo earphones.

Internal memory storage comes with 50 MB and 128 MB RAM with nearly unlimited phone entries and fields. It also has microSD expandability for up to 16GB. Talk time is a generous 12 hours and a standby time is 26 days form its standard 1050 mAh Li-Ion battery on f a full charge.

Available 2nd Quarter

The new Nokia smartphone is expected to hit European markets starting in the 2nd quarter and will be come in a choice of two body colors - white and warm grey body colors you can choose from. The Nokia C5 has been announced to retail at a SIM-free price of €135 before taxes and subsidies and will have a free 2 GB microSD card included in its retail kit. It will also have access to Nokia's online mobile services including free GPS navigation.

To get more info on the Nokia C5 and other new releases then click here. They compare contracts for the Nokia C5 and many other phones. You can also find information regarding all the latest Nokia phones.