http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22278955
Whatsapp dedicated button built into Nokia Asha phone
Nokia has released a mobile phone with a dedicated WhatsApp physical button.
The feature triggers the cross-platform messaging app which offers a free alternative to SMS texts.
HTC and Nokia have previously released handsets with Facebook-devoted buttons, but this marks a first for WhatsApp.
Analysts suggested the move would make WhatsApp the text app of choice on the handsets, but suggested it would have limited impact on the wider mobile phone market.
Nokia's Asha 210 runs on the firm's proprietary Series 40 operating system and will be targeted at consumers in emerging markets looking for a cheaper alternative to the Finnish firm's Windows Phone range and other companies' smartphones. The OS supports third-party web apps and software written in the Java programming language.
To achieve a targeted retail price of £47 ($72) Nokia decided that the device's 2.4in (6.1cm) screen would not be touch-enabled.
Users have to use its built-in Qwerty keyboard and navigation button to launch and operate apps, so having a dedicated key gives WhatsApp an edge over alternatives on the handset.
In addition owners of the phone are offered a subscription to the app for the device's lifespan rather than having to pay the normal annual fee.
Nokia refused to reveal the financial terms of the arrangement and said it would monitor customer response before deciding whether to include the feature on any of its other devices.
Room to grow
Silicon Valley-based WhatsApp launched in 2009.
Its chief executive Jan Joum recently told the AllThingsD tech site that his firm had more active users than Twitter which claims more than 200 million people use its service at least once a month.
Asha 210 Nokia said it had not yet decided whether to offer the WhatsApp key on other handsets
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新品価格 |
WhatsAppの本家はこちら。収入はどうするのか？と思ったら、年間９９セントの利用料金を取る仕組みのようだ。広告以外で稼ぐモデルを作りたいというのが本家の意図とのこと。そういう意味では、それで本当に回るのならば、ＬＩＮＥなんかより良いということは言える。ただし、ネットのみでの通信なので、電話番号でのＳＭＳなどとは信用度は低い、ということは使う方も理解しないといけないだろう。
http://www.whatsapp.com/?l=ja
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