Nokia’s First CDMA Windows Phone in China
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. It will be available on the country’s leading 3G network.
“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.”
[ Also Read: Microsoft-Nokia AppCampus for Mobile Entrepreneurs ]China market has been attracting most tech players. For example, IBM has announced the opening of the first-ever server remanufacturing center in China. The new center, located in Shenzhen, will help reduce the impact of e-waste on the environment by extending the life of older IT equipment that otherwise would go into landfills. (Read: IBM to Remake Old Computers in China)
And Siemens is starting to build the Siemens Electronics Works Chengdu (SEWC) in Chengdu High Tech zone. This is stated to be the largest modern digital factory of Siemens in China. (Read: Siemens Digital Factory in Chengdu High Tech Zone)
Meanwhile, Renren, China’s leading real-name social networking internet platform, has announced the release of its customized high-definition client application (“Renren HD”) for Microsoft’s Windows 8 application store. (Read: China’s Social Network Renren for Microsoft Windows 8)
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, says Nokia.
[ Also Read: Now, Nokia Calling Kraft, Red Bull and Voddler ]Launched today, March 28, and 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 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. It will be offered without contract for 3599 RMB.
Nokia and Microsoft also announced the Be Top program, which is designed to encourage and support developers in creating new applications on Windows Phone specifically for people in China.
In the picture above: Wang Xiaochu (chairman of China Telecom) and Stephen Elop (CEO of Nokia) with Nokia 800C.
