The $25 Microsoft Nokia 130: Affordability and Entertainment

Yesterday Microsoft unveiled its cheapest phone for $25 called the Nokia 130. This little cute handset comes in red, white or black, and although lacking in internet connectivity, is great for just good ol’ plain fun.

For developing areas such as Africa and the Middle East where internet access in most areas is a needle in a haystack, this phone will keep you entertained for many hours on its 1020mAh battery.

According to the Nokia site the Nokia 130 has a music and video player that can last up to 46 hours and 16 hours of playback respectively. If you’re wondering how much space it has, well, you can slide in a microSD card of up to 32GB and have all your favourite songs and videos in one place. Can you share music? Yep. Via Bluetooth, microSD cards or by using a USB cable.

It also comes with a radio feature so you can still stay in tune with the world when there’s no electricity or if you don’t own a TV or bigger radio.

We all know how phones that face continuous use are prone to scratches and marks but the Nokia 130 is a tough little guy who can stand the scratch marks and maintain its colour so your marks are not noticeable at all.

Plus, if you’re scared of the dark, there’s a flashlight on the back of the phone to guide you. You don’t even have to worry about its size or weight seeing as it comes in at dimensions of 106 x 45.5 x 13.9mm and weighs a light 68.6g so it fits comfortably in your hand, and pocket.

This phone addresses two problems we have in Zambia; load-shedding of electricity and questionable internet access. It has the flashlight, and it also gives you something to get your mind off the need for internet, which is lots of music and videos to store and play on it when you get bored.

Its perfect for the rural areas which are sprawled all over Zambia  where many do not have access to the internet and still want entertainment, in this case being offered in terms of music.

It also comes in dual SIM variants so you can have two lines in one phone for times when you can’t get any connectivity/service on one mobile operator.

A roll out date has not yet been set for the Nokia 130 but what we do know is it is definitely coming to Africa and the Middle East soon.

Image Credits: Nokia