
Nokia 215 - nicwest
http://lumiaconversations.microsoft.com/2015/01/05/nokia-215/
======
canadev
Saw this phone on reddit earlier.

A few weeks ago, after an upgrade to iOS 8, I became unable to connect to wifi
on my iPhone 4S and the speed of the OS became pretty bad, after it had been
perfectly responsive since I first got it nearly 3 years ago.

Combine this with the fact that my expensive purchased-for-durability phone
case, the third in the phone's lifetime, was starting to crack, and I started
looking at other phones.

My contract is up in a couple of months. I went to a store and looked at the
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6.

I found the Note 4 intriguing because I've been occasionally following John
Carmack's discussions about the Gear VR (Oculus Rift that connects to the
phone) and I thought it was coming out in a consumer version, but it looks
like they are still labeling it as a developer kit, which makes me think there
must be a reason for that (i.e. it's not really ready for prime time). Also,
the phone is just massively huge, and I don't want to buy it, especially since
given my way of doing things I'd end up buying some horribly large case on top
of it.

Then I looked at the iPhone 6. First of all I do think it's too big in terms
of screen size -- though I do like the thickness and weight of it quite a bit.
But the base model is 16GB, and getting either a 16GB or a 64GB _on contract_
was $200+ or $375+ respectively. I thought about it and almost broke down and
bought a 128GB model outright for over $1000. In the end, I just couldn't
justify it.

I think it's time for me to go back to sending SMSs on the telephone keypad.
And time for me to stop getting warnings that my damn phone is not backing up
(no wifi and me not plugging it in), time for me to stop worrying that the
phone will die if I forget to charge it for just one evening, and time for me
to stop buying expensive, crappy cases.

I really want this phone. And if I don't get it, I'll probably get something
that is just like it.

TL;DR: I'm a fan.

~~~
Fuxy
I like the concept but it is still targeting the market that can't afford
smart phones.

They need a similar phone that is targeting the market that can afford smart
phones but realized it doesn't need most of the features at the expense of
battery life.

Like a phone with this feature set plus 3G/4G connectivity with WiFi tethering
capability to say your tablet and a beefier battery.

Basically a classic Nokia phone and 3G/4G router to connect all your smart
devices to while you're on the move and in need of a internet connection.

~~~
louhike
The Nokia Asha 210 is close to that, except it just have a 2.5G connectivity.
I don't know if 3G is worth it on features phone. Don't you think it won't be
powerful enough to take advantage of a 3G connection?

~~~
Fuxy
The phone wouldn't be but my tablet that I connect when I need a quick
internet connection and a better more full featured experience would be.

I almost never use any of my smart phone's features except tethering.

The phone's screen is too small for comfort I would rather use my nexus 7
which I always have with me anyway however a phone of that size would be too
awkward so why not just separate them.

A dumb phone with modem capabilities and great battery life and a smart device
for everything else.

------
h43k3r
I seriously doubt the fact that this phone will be able to make a dent in the
Indian market. Just look at its price tag, it costs you around Rs. 2000($30)
The basic internet pack charges (2g) is around Rs 130($2) per month. A person
who is ready to take a subscription of $2 per month, will be able to afford a
better phone with Android which won't cost him more than 3k.

One thing that I want to see in such type of phones is whatsapp support with
an extremely good battery life. If such a phone comes up, it will be second
phone for every person who is suffering from the battery problem of android
ecosystem.

~~~
pacofvf
> Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe

MS needs to preinstall whatsapp , otherwise a lot of people will prefer a
phone with whatsapp pre-installed, I know that most of us would laugh about
it, but believe me, In my country people buy phones just because the box has
these logos: whatsapp, FB, twitter.

------
ghshephard
I travel a lot, and in addition to my iPhone w/AT&T International Roaming
(Company picks it up - provides a constant phone number for people to call me
wherever I am, and has all the smartphone goodness that is useful for a road
warrior) - I also carry a Nokia 105 which I pop a local SIM into for all my
local calling - Saves about $500-$1000/Month easily on calling charges. It
looks like the Nokia 215 is the same price, with the addition of some basic
Internet Connectivity as well. Same 30 Day battery life as well. Super happy
to see Microsoft is continuing to make the super-low end Nokia phones, though
hard to see how this fits their general business model, other than being
"Mobile first"

~~~
listic
I am sad that they don't carry on the line of phones like Nokia 1202 anymore.
[http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_1202-2573.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_1202-2573.php)
For once, I liked the sunlight-readable monochrome display that doesn't have
to turn off, the snappiness and lack of features. I guess the 105 and now 215
is the new 'lowest end' now.

~~~
toothbrush
Yes, i miss monochrome displays. If my Nokia 101 ever breaks, i'll probably
order some refurbished device like an 8210.

------
phireal
What would be nice is a phone like this with GPS and 3G/4G (with tethering).
That way I could ditch my smartphone and use my tablet for actual browsing
with the feature phone serving as a router only (whilst still being usable as
a phone the rest of the time).

All the feature phones I've looked at don't have 3G/4G with tethering, which
means they're unsuitable for my use case.

~~~
pavlov
The Nokia 515 and 301 models have 3.5G, so they might fit the bill:

[http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/515/](http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/515/)
[http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/301/](http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/301/)

No 4G though -- I imagine that Series 40, Nokia's venerable in-house operating
system, doesn't support it at all.

~~~
carlob
The 208 has 3.5 g as well. I have owned both the 515 and the 208. While the
515 is better in terms of hardware (aluminum and gorilla glass throughout) it
has some software issues and half the ram of the 208, which seems to me has a
better software stack.

~~~
Aldo_MX
I thought both had 64Mb of RAM

~~~
carlob
Yes, you're right and I was wrong, but the 208 feels much faster for some
reason…

------
brickmort
_the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe_

The phones that I really like seem to never be available in the US.
Admittedly, I have a unique taste in phones. I love the idea of a minimal
phone OS with a qwerty keypad (or number pad). The new Blackberry Classic
looks really nice too, but it's not available in the US and Blackberry has all
but abandoned ship in the US market.

Nokia is getting _so close_ to scratching that itch with this phone. I really
hope there's a US version with similar specs somewhere up the pipe.

~~~
burger_moon
I really want to switch back to a "dumb" phone once my contract is up on my
iPhone 5. Im always at a computer or can have my iPad (which I never use
anymore) with me in wifi everywhere I go except my car. The only reason to
need internet in the car is for gps which convieniently they sell those too
and I have one.

I just don't see the need to own a smart phone anymore for myself. If I wasn't
at a computer all the time I could justify it but it no long serves a purpose.

I really hope they sell this in the us eventually. I suppose you can still buy
an unlocked one and use that however. Just make sure it has the right keyboard
and language.

~~~
pkorzeniewski
I second that. I use my phone for two things - calling and texting - and I
don't feel like I'm missing anything. I'm switching to a small, lightweight
"dumbphone" (we got so used to the brick-sized smartphones we forgot how handy
the old phones were), that can last a week without charging and has a physical
keyboard which - in my opinion - is so much better than a virtual one.

------
exizt88
> Plus, a built-in torchlight provides convenience, whether it’s late at night
> or after you’ve turned off the lights.

So that's what a torchlight is for! Thanks, landing page!

~~~
duncanawoods
They probably have to find a non-technical way to make it clear its actually a
physical light and not the brand name for some new service\app e.g. spotlight,
greenlight, lightroom, lighttable etc.

~~~
johnchristopher
More likely they had to fill a placeholder.

And someone got paid on a marketing team so everything's good.

edit: oh, but it's not a landing page. It's a blog page.

------
capdiz
This phone will come in handy for some of us in Africa. The African phone
market is flooded with cheap dual sim chinese phones that "can perform more
tasks" than what microsoft hopes to achieve with its phone. But for 29$ they
are [the chinese phones] still a rip-off for many. Buggy software
applications, short lifespan (3-6 months) and spread viruses like crazy.

------
IgorPartola
I like how this phone includes that it's built to be durable as one of its
major features. Phones should be tough. Waterproofing them should be standard.
They should not break when dropped from 10+ feet. Their screens should not
crack. On top of this, either optional or built-in warranty should include
coverage for accidental damage. A phone like that would be worth quite a bit
of money.

Another thing about the current generation of smartphones: unlike this Nokia
offering, they are not yet "good enough". Chances are, you will replace your
phone in 1-2 years, or at least you'll want to. Their speed is still growing
very fast, and the demand on the CPU/GPU/RAM is growing very fast too. I can
see buying this phone and keeping it for 5+ years: nothing in what it can do
will see substantial improvements over that time period. Contrast this with
the top of the line smartphones where simple things in 2017 will take 2x the
processing power that they do now, because of the improved UI, etc.

Eventually, I think smartphones will settle down. I remember when PC's were
getting faster and faster in the late 1990's, early 2000's. It seemed that you
could upgrade every year and still not keep up. Eventually they got "good
enough" where you can keep the same PC for 5-10 years (except power-users such
as programmers, gamers, etc.) I look forward to a day when iPhones and such
are a commodity such as this Nokia.

~~~
Joky
"It should be XXX, YYY, ZZZ". Not everyone shares your need. Some people a
careful and want a pretty phone, light, and just awesome to use. Why would
they need a heavier phone, with constrained design, and pay extra for an
accidental damage coverage (you mentioned that it could be builtin)?

Moreover over these kind of phones exists, it is just that we have _choice_
not to buy them.

~~~
IgorPartola
I disagree. Show me a waterproof iPhone (IMO the only phone worth considering
at the high end of the smartphone market). Lots of people would pay extra to
ensure their phone is damage and water proof. For this reason the iPhone case
industry is so huge. No, it's not everybody's need to have a durable phone,
but I argue that it is the majority's need. The minority who wants fragile
phones should switch places with the majority: that way everyone's needs will
be satisfied in proportion to the popularity of the need.

~~~
tw04
> iPhone (IMO the only phone worth considering at the high end of the
> smartphone market)

Can't tell if blatant troll or not... the only phone worth considering? I went
from a Moto X 2013 to an iPhone 6. I'm in the process of returning the 6. I
heard everyone talk about the coherence of iOS and how rock solid an OS it is.
This thing has crashed more on me, or just stopped passing data traffic via
wifi or cellular more times in the last 2 months of ownership than my Moto X
did in a year. The camera is outstanding and something I'll truly miss, but I
can live without a camera in exchange for a phone that let's me put alerts on
silence without being forced to silence my alarm as well...

------
furyg3
Looks great, I think I've found my new extra phone.

My backup travel phone is a dual-sim candybar, allowing me to leave my
smartphone back at the hotel room while still taking my usual sim with me + a
local sim of the country I'm visiting. This gives me a lot of freedom to
really roam and still be reachable if I want to be, have some options if
there's an emergency, to not really worry about my phone being lost or stolen,
and not be tied to a power outlet.

My telephone company let's me have two sim cards which makes this really easy
(whichever phone is turned on most recently is the active phone). I leave my
spare phone in my car when I'm not traveling.

------
Aoyagi
A phone with physical buttons that's not targeted at senior customers?
Amazing.

------
TheMagicHorsey
[http://m.gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/seven-firefox-os-
powe...](http://m.gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/seven-firefox-os-powered-
devices-announced-mozilla-aims-to-power-25-smartphone-487300)

Firefox Smartphone is a better choice for India. Same price tag and a much
more open compute platform.

There are also several Chinese made Android smartphones around INR2000 which
are attractive to budget conscious purchasers.

Remember that in India the phone is often the only compute platform a user
has, and it is an aspirational purchase.

------
gojomo
Note that on January 1, 2016, old-Nokia in Finland can use the 'Nokia' name on
new phones again:

[http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2013/09/05/could-
we-s...](http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2013/09/05/could-we-see-a-
finnish-smartphone-from-nokia-in-2016-jolla-sailfish-android/)

There may be some strange brand contortions coming next year!

------
kamaal
So here is the deal. If the phone has WiFi and Skype installed, nearly every
single household in India will buy this in a heart beat. Plus they can get all
those customers on Skype, for free.

I'm currently shopping around for a phone for my father, he doesn't want a
smartphone. He needs a simple phone, through which he can make VOIP
calls(Skype/Viber etc). Its perfectly alright if the phone doesn't have a
camera, or GPS. But for sure it needs to have WiFi connectivity, you should be
able to tether, should be rugged and durable and should be cheap.

Internet is taking off big time in India. And people want to make free calls
over VOIP all the time. Smartphones are expensive, and aren't exactly very
durable and rugged. Plus they get out of fashion very soon. A simple phone,
Nokia standard, which you could use as a internet phone over WiFi with apps
like Skype, Viber would sell like hotcakes here.

~~~
gambiting
Nope, it doesn't have Wi-Fi, and with 8MB of ram Skype is out of the question.
The device with the least amount of ram which ran Skype natively was the
PlayStation Portable(and only the Slim model, which came with 64MB of ram
instead of 32MB).

------
Pxtl
So it's a modern stick-phone. I'm actually flabbergasted that MS/Nokia made a
non-windows-phone device.

To me, the big question is whether I can tether a tablet to it. A lightweight,
convenient dumbphone with a tethered tablet in my backpack might be a nice
form-factor.

~~~
eli
Ya know it's funny. I used to write about the cell phone industry in the
previous decade and this was exactly the vision at one point: a feature phone
in your pocket creates a "Personal Area Network" over Bluetooth or similar
that provides connectivity to your your watch, computer, etc.

------
pdknsk
[http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/215/specifications/](http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/215/specifications/)

> RAM: 8 MB

That's not much, considering what it can do. Decode H.264, run Opera Mini, and
more.

~~~
gsnedders
Compared with a lot of devices that Opera Mini ran on a decade ago, that's a
lot of RAM!

~~~
aplummer
Compared to the websites those phones had to try and consume, there is a lot
of HTML!

~~~
gsnedders
Opera Mini doesn't render HTML, it renders OBML — essentially a binary
serialisation of a device-specific render-tree. The HTML->OBML conversion is
done in the cloud.

~~~
aplummer
Ha neat i did not know that neat. But i suppose there is still just more OBML
to hold in RAM (even if it is more efficient).

------
yalogin
So I need to pay for data on a severely restricted phone? Why would I do that?
I understand the allure of a cheap phone but why should it have internet
access? I understand if I can get a data plan specifically tailored for this
(as in cheap).

~~~
maxmouchet
In France there's subscriptions for as low as 2€ a month for 2h of voice and
50MB data (5cents/MB above), this would be perfect for those phones.

Edit: Internet is useful for chat apps like messenger, they mostly replaced
text messaging for me.

------
mrmondo
1) 2G does not provide much in the way of usable Internet these days 2) Many
countries are working to actively decommission their 2G networks - which is a
good thing because the sooner they do this the bands can be re-used for LTE

~~~
sspiff
2G is fine for what this phone can display. Opera renders and reformats data
on their server farm, so it's not loading megabytes of Javascript and high
resolution images over 2G.

------
johnchristopher
I would replace my old and trusty SonyErricson Naite and SO's cedar with this
if only it'd come with WiFi and/or 3G connectivity and that weird but reliable
google maps app.

(Opera mini is also a requirement.)

------
balladeer
They should be talking about battery life; and battery life with 3G on. They
left it at "Exceptional battery life" and "Battery capacity: 1100 mAh"[1], the
latter definitely didn't do anything to boost confidence.

This is too much to ask, I agree. But then if I just want a phone to make
calls and text then I would buy something even cheaper than this phone.

[1]
[http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/215/specifications/](http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/215/specifications/)

------
toothbrush
Hm, this is a bit too full-featured for my tastes. I'm currently on a Nokia
101, and my gripes are few: if only the battery cover would stay on better
(current solution: tape), and the build quality was $60 as opposed to the
$10-20 currently, it'd be ideal. Other than that, it is perfection. I'm glad
this type of thing is still being made, even if the trade-off between the
triad [features, price, build quality] isn't exactly where i'd have liked it.

------
MisterBastahrd
There are plenty in the 60 and up crowd for whom smartphones are confusing
things because they obfuscate the entire purpose of owning a cell phone:
making calls. My parents both still have clamshell style flip phones because
they don't use their phones primarily as an entertainment or computing device,
but as actual phones. This kind of phone would be a great halfway point for
them: give them the functionality of a smart phone without making their phone
confusing.

------
swengw
This brings back fond memories of the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic [1] that I used
for two years. The battery lasted a week, and using T9 on that phone was the
fastest I've ever typed on a mobile device. It's nice to know that the 215
exists if I ever want to return to those days.

1\.
[http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5310_xpressmusic-2087.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5310_xpressmusic-2087.php)

------
stove
Let's ask the important question: will it have snake?

------
keithpeter
_" Weighing 78.7 grams, the 215 has a VGA camera with space for a 32GB microSD
card. ..."_

[http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/nokia-215/](http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/nokia-215/)

'Europe' availability specified. 2G in UK for some years to come. Might get
one on payg and I can listen to my music and take the odd low res pic of funny
signs (what I mainly use the camera for).

~~~
MistahKoala
But being 2G-only, it's not going to work on Three (UK). All the other
networks have 2G capabilities still, don't they?

~~~
keithpeter
Yes, the mobile operators all do 2G except as you say Three. There are no
_definite_ plans to phase out 2G in UK because of rural coverage.

------
aceperry
The new Nokia model numbers keep getting smaller, along with the shrinking
feature set and capabilities. They really are aiming for the low end/budget
demographic. Although I wonder if the subsidies will help or hurt sales in the
low end though. Its got the retro Nokia look which probably helps sales. Since
it has only 8MB of RAM, it's no surprise that Microsoft didn't put WinPhone on
it.

~~~
mrmondo
Imagine the swap file it would need!

------
bpatel576
How can they make a phone for only $30 and still make money. I'm curious, does
anyone on this thread happen to have a tear down report.

~~~
fosk
Commoditized cheap components, and economy of scale.

This phone has 8MB of RAM for example, which not only is a very cheap
component to buy, but given the amount of phones Nokia will be producing, it
will cost them even less. Same for camera, and every other component. In 2015
some things that used to be very expensive, like multi megapixel cameras, are
worth less or more like a few peanuts nowadays if bought in large amounts.

------
ulfw
A 2G phone touted as "our most affordable Internet-ready entry-level phone
yet". Has Microsoft's "Nokia"/Windows Phone division lost it's mind
completely?

I know it's a cheap phone, but then don't market it as an internet device.
It's 2015. 3G even in a cheap phone should be standard if you call it an
internet-ready device.

------
Chirag
This or similar phones from MS, won't change anything. People will still go
for android with a similar price range and more screen size. We got two such
phones for our office to use on travel sometime back, but they just lie there
with no takers. People still use their regular phones with the power backup on
the go.

~~~
hugozap
For some people, battery life is more important than features. Other just
don't like android

------
hyp0
Like a smartwatch + keypad.

2G connectivity is slow... but I would love super-lite webpages. Like
m.mobile; maybe w.watch? This could also use them. Needs less bandwidth, data,
CPU, RAM, battery - and clearer because just the text.

If it has an x86 CPU (specs don't say), it could be the world's smallest
DOSbox. 8MB RAM is plenty for DOS.

~~~
pjc50
Those who don't remember WAP are doomed to reinvent it, it seems.

------
teekert
Just give me the titanium Nokia 8850 [1] with color screen, whatsapp
(preferably also telegram), imap and calendar sync.

1
[http://www.retromobile.nl/images/productimages/big/8850zilve...](http://www.retromobile.nl/images/productimages/big/8850zilver3.jpg)

------
catmanjan
Nice, I was travelling recently and was looking for something like this.

It's very easy to get a cheap phone, but touch screen phones tend to have
worse battery life, and many of the entry-level phones don't have a browser or
location services (GPS functionality is a big plus when travelling.

~~~
Schweigi
Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have a GPS:
[http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/215/specifications/](http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/215/specifications/)

------
desireco42
I've been looking at those nokia asha's with keyboard. I think I would enjoy
using something like that. I am a fan for sure, however, it is not likely I
will abandon my OnePlus soon which also solves my main complaint, that battery
dies quickly on 'modern' phones.

------
rplnt
> Nokia 215 and Nokia 215 Dual-SIM will be available in select markets

This is not the first modern and cheap phone they have. Yet they are not
available to purchase. So yeah, nice news, but not really relevant unless you
live in Africa.

(Yes, I know they say Europe this time, but I don't really believe them)

------
jakobegger
This looks great. It builds on Nokia's strengths (people loved them for their
durable low cost phones).

I hope they get the UI right; old Nokia phones had a great UI before they
added all the 'smartphone'-crap.

And I hope they'll sell them in Austria too; this looks like a great backup
phone.

~~~
moe
_old Nokia phones had a great UI before they added all the 'smartphone'-crap._

I hear you!

Those were the days, when your phone would react instantly to keypresses, and
so reliably that you could type and send entire SMS without looking at the
screen.

~~~
mst
That's why I love real keyboards - I can reply to a text message having pre-
decided the words while making eye contact with the person opposite me.

------
yogrish
It certainly is targeting Indian market. Names and places in the Ad is Indian.
Nokia still resonates with many Indians for its durability and Reliability.
With Internet ready, it will for sure strike a chord with indians in low price
segment and as back up phone.

~~~
_nedR
I don't know whether the 29$ price tag (even when compared to other similar
Nokias already in the market) is all that revolutionary but they certainly
have pitched their product perfectly:

"or as a secondary phone for just about anyone... has the same durable build
quality you’ve learned to rely on over the years... stand-by time of up to 29
days"

After Microsoft claimed to have banished the 'Nokia' name forever, they now
evoking imaging from Nokia's days of glory. Of course, the question now on
every Indian's mind is - Can the Nokia 215 hold a candle to the legendary
1100?

------
schmiddy
"Meet <insert product name here>".... "introducing <insert product name
here>", cue artsy and friendly music and lots of people having fun.

I get that all this stuff works really well in marketing products, but its
getting really stale.

------
Zigurd
Neither fish nor fowl.

Maybe somebody could make a product and make money in this segment but the
odds of that somebody being Microsoft are nil. The only context in which this
makes sense is keeping this part of the former Nokia alive long enough to sell
it.

------
vamur
Right now in Russia you can buy an Android 4.4 smartphone (Beeline Smart 3)
with Wifi, GPS and 4 inch screen for $30. Not sure how Microsoft's phone can
compete with similarly priced Chinese or Indian smartphones.

------
finishingmove
Budget people are not on postpaid, and this phone has no Wi-Fi. Big mishit
there.

~~~
icebraining
So what? No prepaid 3G where you live?

~~~
finishingmove
Prepaid cellular data calculates as much more expensive (at least in my
country and similar countries).

------
t0mislav
Nokia has many phones like this, I'm not sure why this is so special?

~~~
kyberias
Who said it is "special"?

~~~
nmeofthestate
Being in the top 3 HN links rather implies that it is somehow special.

------
whizzkid
Sorry Microsoft, but that era has passed and pie was eaten by Nokia. (Well
deserved by Nokia)

Building an affordable phone with Internet access capability is not biggest
demand currently.

10 years ago, Nokia discovered what was missing in communication market. A
cheap, good looking and everlasting phone. They sold it to literally
everywhere in the world. It was like buy one and use forever.

I am not really sure what is the biggest gap in communication market but it is
definitely not this. Here are the things i can list which i think the most
important ones to focus on.

\- Battery life

\- Unique and beautiful designs (Phones are getting too similar to each other)

\- Durability

\- Making phones use cases wider to interact real life scenarios.

Lets see if we are gonna see something original in 2015 otherwise people will
as usual wait for iPhone 7, Galaxy S6, and Nexus 10.

~~~
freehunter
Do you really believe this phone is designed for you? Hint: it's not.

------
kmfrk
Been trying to buy a 3210 as a back-up phone for many years, but even now, I
find the form factor to be pretty weird. Just go with the 3210 design, and I'm
down for one.

------
abhididdigi
I don't believe this to be something new. My mom had been using this ( very
very similar - the OS) from Nokia since 2009. Nokia released many such
cellphones in India.

------
JonnieCache
No GPS, but will opera mini run maps at all do we think? Perhaps
openstreetmap? I generally know where I am, it's going the right way I have
trouble with...

~~~
maxerickson
Previous S30 phones supported offline maps in the manner you describe.

(The OS is listed on the product page:
[http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/215/specifications/](http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/215/specifications/)
)

------
edpichler
I don't know if it's possible without touch screen hardware, but I would
really like if I could write WP8 apps to run on this device.

~~~
icebraining
It doesn't run WP at all; it only has 8MB of RAM, after all.

------
sspiff
Does anyone know if this will run J2ME software?

~~~
pavlov
Apparently it doesn't, and this is surprising to me because Nokia's Series 30
platform did support Java apps since around 2003.

But these new "Series 30+" phones are not based on the old Nokia OS any more.
Instead they use a completely different feature phone platform licensed from
MediaTek, and it doesn't seem to include Java ME at all (probably to save on
license costs).

~~~
huttarl
Can you cite a reference for "apparently it doesn't", and for the point that
the "new Series 30+ phones are not based on the old Nokia OS any more"?

Wikipedia
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_30](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_30))
calls Series 30+ "a little version upgrade of Series 30 platform" but I have
no idea if that's true. If so, it would suggest that Series 30+ would support
J2ME: the contrary would be surprising, as you said.

Thanks.

~~~
pavlov
Here are two discussion threads from the Nokia forums:

[http://discussions.nokia.com/t5/Asha-and-other-Nokia-
Series-...](http://discussions.nokia.com/t5/Asha-and-other-Nokia-
Series-30/Connecting-Nokia-220-to-PC/td-p/2560768)

[http://discussions.nokia.com/t5/Asha-and-other-Nokia-
Series-...](http://discussions.nokia.com/t5/Asha-and-other-Nokia-
Series-30/Nokia-220-the-worst-s4o-phone/td-p/2814326)

This info comes from poster Abi99, who seems to be a highly regarded member
with over 11,000 posts on the official forums:

 _" The Nokia 220 is — after the Nokia 108 — the second phone from Nokia which
uses MediaTek Feature Phone MAUI as operating system, called Nokia Series
30+."_

 _" The new Nokia Series 30+ platform (MediaTek) does not allow to add apps."_

------
swengw
This brings back fond memories of the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic [1] that I used
for two years. The battery lasted a week, and using T9 on that phone was the
fastest I've ever typed on a mobile device. It's nice to know that the 215
exists if I ever want to return to those days.

1\.
[http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5310_xpressmusic-2087.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5310_xpressmusic-2087.php)

------
swengw
This brings back fond memories of the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic [1] that I used
for two years. The battery lasted a week, and using T9 on that phone was the
fastest I've ever typed on a mobile device. It's nice to know that the 215
exists if I ever want to return to those days.

1\.
[http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5310_xpressmusic-2087.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5310_xpressmusic-2087.php)

------
swengw
This brings back fond memories of the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic [1] that I used
for two years. The battery lasted a week, and using T9 on that phone was the
fastest I've ever typed on a mobile device. It's nice to know that the 215
exists if I ever want to return to those days.

1\.
[http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5310_xpressmusic-2087.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5310_xpressmusic-2087.php)

------
jastanton
Nokia 105 - $20

Nokia 130 - $25

Nokia 215 $29

Not sure why Nokia keeps coming out with new phones but I like it. Yeah it may
be expensive in 2nd / 3rd world countries still but I personally like the no
distractions of a dumb phone. If they called a cellphone a tether when they
first came out, they are handcuffs now and I like the feeling of breaking free
from it all and focusing on other things in life like the people in my life,
or self improvement etc...

------
pmelendez
Are they allowed to continue using Nokia band? I thought they had to ditch it
a few months ago

~~~
notatoad
They chose to ditch it a few months ago in favour of lumia for their windows
phones. They still have the rights to use it though, for a couple years i
think.

------
zodiac
I find it odd that it's the same price as the cheapest lumia phone...

[http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/AT-T---
N...](http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/AT-T---Nokia-
Lumia-520---No-Contract/productID.283842800)

~~~
sliverstorm
That's an on-contract price. Isn't this one, the 215, off-contract?

~~~
chiph
They did say it was before subsidies, so appears so. At that price, buy a
second one for a spare. Or a fashion accessory.

------
okasaki
You can get a no-name Android phone for not much more (if at all)

------
Kluny
Wow, at $29 I'm going to get one for sheer curiosity.

------
skibz
Anyone know if this phone will be able to run WhatsApp?

~~~
jlink
Not for the moment. Maybe later in an update.. They really should add it
otherwise it's lame!

------
vdfs
You can get Nokia Lumia 520 for the same price, at least for now:
[http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E45043A](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E45043A)

------
perseusprime
I would buy it for my mom and dad.

------
davidgerard
Have they just recreated the Kin?

------
harryf
Is that OS Meego ?

~~~
aceperry
I think it's Symbian, series 30+.

~~~
pavlov
Series 30 and 40 are not Symbian, they're Nokia's in-house operating system
(IIRC it was sometimes called Nokia OS by outsiders, but I don't know what the
name inside the company was).

Edit: Looks like Series 30+ is not even Nokia OS anymore. It's a completely
different OS licensed from MediaTek.

------
motyar
why no whatsapp?

~~~
rplnt
Perhaps because Facebook is partially owned by Microsoft? Not sure if that can
affect something like this.

~~~
razzaj
whatsapp is owned by Facebook, so i doubt that would be the reason.

------
razzaj
"Plus, a built-in torchlight provides convenience, whether it’s late at night
or after you’ve turned off the lights. Or, for those who have no access to
electricity (in 2014, that’s still almost 20% of the world’s population), the
torch is a necessity!"

So how exactly is the Nokia 215 supposed to be charged in the first place?

~~~
teh_klev
Applying some imagination, I guess you head to your local internet/phone cafe
and charge the thing before heading home, or you or your village have
something like this:

[http://amzn.com/B00CTDW5TA](http://amzn.com/B00CTDW5TA)

~~~
razzaj
some imagination is expected from MS not the poor people without electricity,
and without the luxury of imagination. This is a typical example of senseless
marketing. If you are targeting the 20% mentioned, i would expect a Solar
panel based charger that would charge a battery during the day, and then
transfer the stored energy to the phone during the night. Now that's the
imagination i would love to see.

~~~
icebraining
Poor people don't have imagination? What?

Besides, MS doesn't have to do everything. There are plenty of providers of
solar charging equipment that no doubt will work with this phone. In fact,
here's a random search result: [http://www.amazon.in/10000mAh-Portable-Direct-
Powered-Batter...](http://www.amazon.in/10000mAh-Portable-Direct-Powered-
Battery/dp/B00NFC0EBA)

~~~
razzaj
That is not what i said, nor what i implied. Read the comment again.

------
higherpurpose
The "1 month of battery life" is such bullshit, and I'm surprised so many
people, especially on Reddit, believe it without question. Nokia announced a
phone like this a year ago, too, and the same happened.

The "2 weeks" of battery life or even 4 weeks thing is at least a decade old.
It's nothing _new_. Old Nokias and Sony Ericsson's used to promise that all
the time. The thing is that's just _idle time_. You're not going to keep your
phone in idle that much.

This type of marketing definitely came from the Nokia guys themselves - this
"old type of thinking". It reminds me of when laptop makers used to promise
"8h of battery life" on their laptops _5 years ago_ , when their laptops only
lasted 2-3h with normal use. They were also thinking idle/almost no usage-
time, and being misleading about it in their marketing campaigns.

For most people here, I imagine that phone will last them 3-4 days, which is
nothing to scoff at, but it's also not nearly as much as "1 month" of battery
life as they imply, and you also lose so much more compared to a smartphone.
Yes you get "Internet", but it will also be a pain to use it on that non-touch
tiny screen.

The price is also _not that special_. There have been feature phones costing
that much for years. The only difference is now some components have become
cheap enough that they can also add some that make having Internet on it a
_little more usable_ than before.

People here are aware Firefox launched a $25 Firefox OS _smartphone_ right?

~~~
PyErr_SetString
"The "1 month of battery life" is such bullshit"

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and call BS on that too. Here's the info about
standby time you can find for iPhone6:" "Up to 16 days (384 hours)"

I'm interested in knowing if anyone even got half of that. And if you actually
start using your phone it'd go down a lot more (which you probably would want
to, since you know... you bought it to have as a phone)

