Imagining the Lumia 330

After Microsoft announced the end of Nokia's Asha and S-40 lines in order to focus entirely on Windows Phone, on the page Phone Designer have started to imagine what an ultra-cheap and small Microsoft phone would look like to replace the current low-end Asha devices and S-40, and have named it Lumia 330, following Nokia's nomenclature where the first number indicates the level of the range (in this case , a phone with lower specifications than the 500 range) and where the second indicates the generation.

The specifications of this dummy device include a 3-inch display and a resolution of 500 x 240 pixels with on-screen buttons (at least Lumia 530/630 style), although in this case it is suggested that it would only have a single virtual start button. It would also have dual SIM, micro USB, front facing camera, replaceable battery, expandable storage via microSD, and a size similar to the latest Asha 230.

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The interface designed for this Lumia 330 is a compressed version of the one found in other Windows Phones, having a home screen with space for only 1 column of medium live tiles. The hypothetical price of the phone would be $40 dollars, to match the Asha and S-40."

Would it make sense for Microsoft to launch such a device on the market? Maybe, but not with the exact features that they propose in Phone Designer.Such a small screen and such a compressed interface will greatly reduce usability, especially considering that the phone would have a virtual keyboard. A slightly larger 3.3-inch screen, like the Zune HD once had, would give more assurance that the on-screen keyboard experience will be a pleasant one.

The application compatibility with a phone with these characteristics would also be complex. It's not clear that today's apps can fit on such a small screen, and if that fails, you lose one of Windows Phone's main strengths: the power to ensure a similar experience for everyone who uses it the platform But by solving those problems, a small, ultra-cheap Lumia could be a hit in emerging markets, bringing Microsoft's OS to the mainstream and attracting more developers to create apps for Windows Phone.

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The reality, for now, is that Asha and S-40 phones will continue to be sold and manufactured since Redmond only stopped the development of new generations. Therefore, if in Redmond they finally decide to launch something like a Lumia 330>"

Via | Chaaps > Phone Designer