Nokia C3

The C5, Nokia's first Cseries phone, didn't quite set the world on fire. That's understandable, given this lineup is meant for the mainstream market. The company recently added two more devices to the series, the C3 and C6. The C3 is the only one of the three to use the basic Series 40 interface and has a low price of 90 euros (US$121.20). Let's take a look at what it offers.

Upside
The first thing you'll notice about the C3 is that it looks a lot like Nokia's most popular Eseries phones, the E71 and E63, because of the exposed QWERTY keypad. This is new for a feature phone running on the basic Series 40 interface, but is a good thing because non-smartphone users may also appreciate it.

The QWERTY keypad will facilitate messaging, which Nokia expects the user to do lots of with software included that gets you onto popular instant messaging services such as Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger. Though the specifications sheet does not mention dedicated Twitter/Facebook apps, it does indicate that live feeds of status updates are possible through a widget.

The C3 also caters to music lovers with a 3.5mm audio jack and software that supports various formats such as MP3, WMA and AAC. Though there's only 55MB of internal memory, there's also a microSD slot that supports up to 8GB cards. This handset also comes with an FM tuner for those who prefer their tunes dished out by a deejay.

Available in three colors, the C3 will cater to a variety of tastes. Those with more conservative preferences can go for the gray version, while the wild ones may prefer the shade that Nokia describes as "Hot Pink".
Downside
Nokia touts the Internet connectivity features of the C3 but has not given it 3G. This means users who have only data access over the cellular network will need to bear with slow transfer rates when using features such as viewing Facebook feeds and browsing the Internet through the browser. However, to its credit, Nokia has included the third-party Opera Mini browser which optimizes full Web pages for faster loading on mobile devices.
Outlook
Some criticism has been leveled against Nokia when discussing its influence on the growing smartphone market. But when it comes to mass-market phones, the Finnish company is still king, and the C3 is a decent addition to its portfolio. The phone will be available this quarter, so look out for it from your operator if you need a budget messaging terminal.