Nokia has added a WhatsApp button for
instant messaging to its new Asha 210
smartphone — the first phone to do so.
The mobile manufacturer announced this
week that the low-budget Asha 210 ($72),
which supports Wi-Fi and 2G connections,
will highlight the messaging service
WhatsApp via ample real estate on the
hardware itself. (Note: WhatsApp is available
for various platforms, including iOS, Android,
Windows Phone, BlackBerry 7 and more).
WhatsApp allows you to send a private
message to your phone contacts for free,
similar to BlackBerry Messenger, to eliminate
texting fees. The company told Mashable
earlier this month that it has more than 200
million monthly users — compared to BBM’s
60 million users — and more than 8 billion
inbound messages a day (12 billion
outbound).
It was recently rumored that Google was in
talks to buy the popular messaging app for
an offer close to $1 billion. Last year, there
was buzz that Facebook was interested in
acquiring the company.
To send messages via the WhatsApp
function on the Nokia phone, users will hold
down the button the physical QWERTY
keyboard. As a part of the partnership, the
service will be free of charge — in the past,
WhatsApp has cost $0.99 for each year after
the first.
This isn’t the first time Nokia has added a
social button to its hardware — it has also
touted a dedicated Facebook key. The Asha
210, which comes in various colors
including yellow, cyan and magenta, runs on
the company’s Series 40 mobile operating
system. It aims to target consumers looking
to spend less on mobile.
“The Nokia Asha 210 really stands out giving
super-social consumers new ways to
express their personalities through design,
color and innovations like the world’s first
WhatsApp button,” said Timo Toikkanen,
executive vice president of mobile phones at
Nokia, in a statement. “It has been designed
to allow people to easily update their social
networks, stay in touch with friends and
share user created content.”
The Asha 210 will be available by the end of
the second quarter.

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