How Facebook Could Save Nokia

On Tuesday, Nokia chief Stephen Elop fielded questions from irate shareholders at his company’s annual meeting in Helsinki. When, they wanted to know, would he do something about Apple and Samsung? In London next week, Nokia will announce its new high-end flagship product, whatever it is.

But Elop’s launch of the Nokia’s new Asha 501 in India this morning is worth watching more than the ailing manufacturer’s battle at the top end of the market. At a recommended price of $99 (before taxes) and near-enough full smartphone functionality, this is Nokia’s big push to capture the growing market for cheap smart devices. Elop wants to sell 100 million of them over the next few years. By way of comparison, that’s one in seven of every smartphones sold last year. Read more…