From the smallest, to the most complicated, I'd say the #MWC14 put them all on display. Devices we could only dream about some 20 years ago, or see in James Bond type of movies, have been made readily available for gadget-loving folks like me to own and gush over.
Of all the devices that were on display, nothing got me on the edge of my seat like what Nokia brought to the party, their #NokiaX range of devices.
The 3 new members of the Nokia family, viz: Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL put me in a state of rapturous excitement and expectant glee.
If you are wondering why such excitement over the #NokiaX range of phones instead of any other device that was on display in Barcelona, then I would simply tell you to go as far back as the Nokia 3300 series mobile phones till date, and you'd discover that Nokia always has a way of producing a device that might look less simple than competitor models that come out right about the same time with it, but possess a feature that stands it out, even for as long as possible, than one would expect.
I guess I'd have to shed more light by narrating briefly, my personal encounter with Nokia.
I only got my first Nokia mobile phone in June of 2012. At that time, though I had another device that I used for communication and work purposes, I needed a smaller phone that could contain more than one sim card; afford me access to the internet whenever my other bigger device ran out of power, have a reliable radio reception so that I wouldn't have network issues even in my rural village in Nigeria, as was common on my other device; provide mp3 entertainment for me whenever I want to get lost in the music; and also have a battery life that wouldn't have me reaching for my charger after a couple of hours of music playback.
I opted for the dual-sim Nokia X2-02 as advised by my kid sister. I'd like to state at this point that her advice was the best advice I got in 2012. Apart from fulfilling all the needs stated above and more, the Nokia X2-02 has one unique feature that has actually turned me into the designated DJ anytime we have a family re-union, or I'm having some fun time with close friends. And that is its "Play-Via-Radio" feature, which enables it to playback mp3 files in its memory card on ANY and ALL stereo equipment, be it low end transistor radios, or high-end home theatre systems. All you need do is select the "Play-Via-Radio" option during playback, and synchronize a designated radio frequency of your choice on your radio system with your phone, and you are set to raise the roof. You need no Bluetooth connection or AV cables. NOTHING!
With that singular feature, my Nokia X2-02 always stakes its claim in gatherings where you have devices that could cost you a fortune to acquire.
I was encouraged to get my 2nd Nokia device in Jan 2013. I got the Asha 311 this time. The phone is a NOKIA through and through. I got it at a time when Nokia had 40 free games in their store from EA Sports. So I couldn't help turning my Asha 311 phone into my very own portable and cute gaming device. I always have my fingers on its touch screen, tapping away on Need for Speed, Fifa 13, Assassins' Creed, Angry Birds, Sim City, or whatever game that catches my fancy at the time. Aside that, I keep up to date with the latest national and international news via the News Reader app; and stay on top of my personal and work related mails with its Mail Exchange app that helps me connect to Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync business and personal emails.
With my Nokia Asha 311, I also have my Social Media accounts at my disposal through all their individual apps. But that's not all. Wait for it... Now for me, the outstanding feature of this cute device is its screen. The screen of the Nokia Asha 311 could be likened to a diamond. It is practically "unscratchable" (kindly permit my use of that word). Despite being so careful, the phone has dropped from my hands on a couple of occasions, on very hard and rough surfaces. But the screen always comes out unscathed. I've always wondered how come, until I realized that Nokia employed the use of Corning® Gorilla® Glass while making the Nokia Asha 311. How brilliant!
Having digressed a bit, I'm back to the #NokiaX devices. Simply put, from what I've read about these devices online, these range of devices are not your regular break-the-bank prized phones. These are phones that are going to be affordable for any Nokia lover out there, most especially for many of us here in Nigeria.
Despite being affordable, these devices possess same apps and OS that were once only available on devices that dig holes in our pockets in order to own them. The #NokiaX devices pride themselves in running Android applications while looking like a cross between an Asha and Lumia phone. How cool is that?
Being placed in between the Asha and Lumia range of devices, The #NokiaX devices present themselves as simple and unassuming, but with pretty cool powers and tricks up their sleeves. Imagine such a range of devices that are all Dual-Sim, running BBM, WhatsApp, Skype and Instagram among others. A much pleasant thought.
Furthermore, with the beauty of the concept of Nokia incorporating local contents in their Nokia Store, it would really be a joy to run Nigerian apps like GidiTraffic, FirstMonie and Linda Ikeji's Blog on them, while connecting to the internet with reliable and fast data services from mobile networks like MTN Nigeria.
I do believe that when those devices are made available in the Nigerian market, and I lay my hands on either one of them, I'd find out one or more spectacular features that would really make them continually relevant than every other device unveiled at the #MWC14 in Barcelona, about a week ago.
To buttress my point even more, in a press release issued during the #MWC14, Nokia won two awards at Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona. The Nokia 105 won “Best Entry Level or Featurephone”. All the nominees in the category were phones made by Nokia themselves.
The other award won was the “Best Low Cost Smartphone” for the Lumia 520.
These award wins reaffirm the quality of the devices manufactured by Nokia.
So tell me, isn't it time you considered owning a Nokia Smartphone?
To read in detail a more concise review, click #NokiaX Family!
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