We were privy to the Nokia Asha 501 Launch at Bangalore on the 29th of June, 2013 where the handset was displayed to us and also given to us to try. Available in a range of colors, the phone which along with an attractive pricing comes in attractive packaging boasts of a multitude of features and innovations!

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The phone comes with an astounding 40+ days of standby on a single SIM and 26 days on Dual SIM and supports 3G. The phone UI looks like it has been done ground up from the scratch and borrows heavily from the interactions that were a part of the erstwhile Nokia’s N9.

The UI works entirely on swipe and boasts of a new feature called Fast Lane. What this basically does is to log 50 of your past, present and future activities that seamlessly allow multi tasking. Since the OS is Nokia’s Series 40 at the back, it has not been optimized for multi window based multi tasking yet the Fast Lane manages to pull it off effortlessly. The UI has also been optimized for maximum screen real estate usage

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The phone comes preloaded with a host of 45 apps and games which Nokia believes would more than suffice any person who would want to start using the phone out of the box.

Nokia has successfully implemented several nifty features which goes on to say how much of thought process must have gone in behind developing the phone. We were told that the average user spends 30 percent of his battery time in looking at the time and checking for notifications. Nokia capitalized on this by providing a lock screen screensaver that works at minimal power yet shows a clock and all your notification without as much as moving a finger. Of course, if you do want to make use of the phone, a double tap at the screen brings it to life and displays the notifications in detail. Making use of the Swipe UI, a simple Swipe would take you to the app and display the contents of the notification.

The phone being for the youth features a interchangeable back panel which should be available off the counter from day one.

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However, with so many loaded features, there is one trade mark feature that Nokia has managed not to let go, viz. the sturdiness feature. The phone was physically abused right in front of our eyes by dropping it, banging it and throwing it. The phone was working perfectly fine despite all this! Oh so typical Nokia!

The highpoint of the demonstration was a Gesture Based Music Player which was wonderful! It allows you to be a Mozart in the true sense! A simple wave and the music plays the way you want it to! Truly innovative!

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Nokia has been striving hard to get their Lumia series bang on target but somehow seemed to fail until now. The newly launched Lumia 520 hopes to set right the wrong that Nokia was said to have done to its loyal customers. Nokia that was known for its Series 60/Symbian series was cursed and abused for jumping the bandwagon and joining hands with Microsoft for the software. It had been termed as the Dell of the mobile industry. In fact, rumours were rife that Nokia may be bought over by Microsoft as an investment opportunity.
We were privy to the launch of the Nokia’s Lumia 520 in Bangalore a few days back and had an opportunity to touch and feel the device. Available in flashy colours that are no less than a rainbow themselves, the handset is aimed at the masses or to be precise, College crowd. People who have a limited budget available to themselves yet want the best. Priced at a range of Rs. 10,000/- to 10,499/- the phone is now available for sale at all leading outlets both online as well as offline.
The phone made entirely of plastic, though may appear cheap at the first look makes up for the impression when taken in hand. A texture of velvety finish makes the phone a pleasure to hold. This velvety feel also ensures the phone is anti slip when in grip. The raised plastic buttons allow for easy access as well as give an assuring feeling when being touched and depressed. I am slightly from the old school of thought where buttons attract me. Specifically when there is a button for the camera. I prefer the half press for focus and full press to click. Also I love it when depressing the camera key allows me to bring up the camera app.
With a specification having a Dual Core Snapdragon S4 CPU clocked at 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM and an Adreno 302 GPU, the Windows Phone 8 OS complements the hardware well. The phone feels snappy to use and also offers a wide array of customisation options. I particularly liked the red colour on the handset and a matching red theme for the tiles. Available from Nokia as a standard accessory, Nokia Drive and Multiple lenses in the Camera App are sure to be picked up as a favourite among the crowds.
The phone offers Nokia music subscription with 80 Lakh DRM free songs available for download. In addition also available is Nokia’s primary offering of 150 Ad free streaming music channels. Nokia has also partnered with BigFlix to offer 3 months of subscription consisting of unlimited movie streaming.
The phone is available in five eye catching colours – Yellow, Red, Cyan, Black and White.
Nokia Lumia 520 - Specs
The entire list of specifications can be found here.