Microsoft launches Nokia 230 Dual SIM in India

We told you 2 months ago about the upcoming availability of the Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 dual-SIM, two affordable but nicely designed feature phones, and Microsoft just announced that the dual-SIM version of the handset has now hit retail in India .

The device is available at a best buy of INR 3,949 (around $55), and for this price you will get a nice little phone with a metallic finish that gives it somewhat of a premium aspect. The phone is available in both Silver and Dark Silver.

But besides those good looks, this is still a feature phone, running the old Nokia Series 30+ software with a non-touch experience. However, Ravi Kunwar, Director- North for Microsoft Mobile Devices, is welcoming the launch of the handset: “Amidst the burgeoning market for touch-enabled smartphones, there was a latent need in the market for a premium quality, non-touch feature phone with enhanced features. The Nokia 230 Dual SIM has been designed to deliver on that need in the market. The device offers a premium feature phone experience to users, both in terms of the build and design of the device, as well as the usage. We are confident that consumers will relate to the value that the device will add to their mobile phone experience.”

Here are the detailed specs and features of the device:

• Premium metallic body (124.6×53.3×10.9mm, available in Silver and Dark Silver) with a large 2.8” screen (230*320).
• 2MP front-and back cameras with LED flash and shortcut camera key
• 1200 mAH battery supporting 23 hours of talk time and up to 22 days stand by time
• Memory card support of up to 32GB
• Access to popular web content with the Opera Mini Browser, Bing Search, and MSN Weather
• MP3 and video player
• Complete connectivity with support for 900/1800 MHz, Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM and HSP/HFP profile, FM Radio, 3.5mm AV connector and micro USB

Microsoft did not give us today a release date for the Nokia 230, the single-SIM version of the handset. But while feature phones are still certainly popular in certain markets, we’re wondering if Microsoft has more of these Nokia feature phones in the pipeline this year.