Nokia Life Tools : Designed to Help Emerging Markets

Along with the announcement of Nokia's Mail on Ovi service, Nokia also announced its new "Nokia LifeTools" application for emerging markets. Now, while this application might not seem all that interesting to the everyday S60 or iPhone user, this little application is designed to help people in emerging markets, like farmers, to help and inform them on how to grow their crops, market agriculture prices, etc.

Nokia Life Tools is a range of innovative agriculture information and education services designed especially for rural and small town communities in emerging markets.

Nokia Life Tools helps overcome information constraints and provides farmers and students with timely and relevant information. These services use an icon-based, graphically rich user interface that comes complete with tables and which can even display information simultaneously in two languages. Behind this rich interface, SMS is used to deliver the critical information to ensure that this service works wherever a mobile phone does, without the hassles of additional settings or the need for GPRS coverage.

Introducing Nokia Life Tools :

•-  Nokia plans to introduce a range of services aimed at emerging markets under the name Nokia Life Tools in 2009.
•-  Nokia Life Tools will focus on Agriculture information and Education services with Entertainment supplementing the offering.
•-  The lead devices for the service are the Nokia 2323 classic and the Nokia 2330 classic.
•- Nokia Life Tools helps overcome the information constraints and strives to contribute towards empowering people with the right tools enabling them make informed decisions.
•-  Nokia Life Tools will inform, involve, empower and help bridge the digital divide in the emerging markets.

Nokia Life Tools – Agriculture :

Reliable and comprehensive information delivered regularly to your mobile device in one package.
Be empowered with tailored information delivered in synch with the cropping cycles. Get information on weather, agriculture tips & techniques and market prices and improve productivity and earnings.

Nokia Life Tools – Education :

Simple courses on English and general knowledge. All in your local language.
Grow and keep ahead! Boost your social standing and confidence with educational services delivered directly to your mobile phone in your local language.

Nokia Life Tools – Entertainment :

Fun and personalization at your fingertips
Cheer up your day! Personalize your phones with the latest ringtones and ringback tones , enjoy other trivia such as jokes, news and gossip, while knowing what your day has in store with the astrology service.

Inform. Involve. Empower:
Delivering mobile services to bridge the digital divide :

In emerging markets, there are severe infrastructural constraints. Distances, cost and vast number of local languages add to the complexity. However, access to mobility and services such as the Internet can change people’s lives and now, with the expansion of mobile coverage in smaller towns and rural areas, there is renewed hope to deliver information relevant to people’s daily lives.
In-depth research and Nokia’s consumer insights have shown that the Internet and information services in infrastructure-constrained environments can offer improved earning potential, learning and quality of life in different ways to many.
Introducing Nokia Life Tools, a range of innovative Agriculture information and Education services targeted to non-urban consumers. Designed specifically for the emerging markets, Nokia Life Tools helps overcome geographical, language and economic barriers and provides services to the next generation of mobile users – possibly the next billion! Nokia plans to launch the service starting in India in the first half of 2009, and expanding across select countries in Asia and Africa later in 2009.
By filling in the information gaps in agriculture and education at the entry level of the mobile device market, Nokia strives to contribute towards empowering people with the right tools to make confident decisions in their daily lives.
Access to this service also has a major impact on the local economy. In areas where agriculture is the primary occupation, relevant information delivered in sync with the cropping cycle of that season can become a useful tool with significant potential to enhance productivity and earnings. Nokia plans to conduct a limited scale pilot in India before the end of 2008. Reuters Market Light is amongst the content providers collaborating with Nokia in the pilot where regular information on weather, prices of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides as well as prevailing market prices is sent directly to the farmer’s mobile device.
The information for the produce is customized to the farmer’s location and his choice of crops.
Knowledge of a foreign language is always a confidence booster. However, the ability to learn English – often perceived as the ‘language of business’ and a necessary skill to progress – can be challenging in remote locations. The Education services in Nokia Life Tools can help improve English language skills and general knowledge. Exam preparation, career tips and access to exam results are some of the possibilities in the future.
Nokia Life Tools is not only about productivity and empowerment but also about some fun. Entertainment is only a click away with ringtones, daily horoscopes, local news and trivia.
Simplicity and ubiquitous access are important to consumers. This is why Nokia Life Tools uses an iconbased graphically rich user interface that makes receiving this information a pleasure. The service comes complete with tables and clever formatting, and can even display information in two languages on the same screen.
Behind this rich interface, SMS is used to deliver the critical information to ensure that this service works wherever a mobile phone works, without the hassles of any settings or need for GPRS coverage.

Compatible Handsets and Language support :

Nokia plans to launch the service in the first half of 2009 with the Nokia 2323 classic and the Nokia 2330 classic as the lead devices in India, and expand it across select countries in Asia and Africa later in 2009.

From the Nokia press release, we know that, both these services are targeted towards developing markets, as those users won't have their own computer for email. LifeTools is also targeted at that same audience.

To find out more about the mentioned services please do check Nokia India's press release, or the launch page.

[Via ZomgitsCj]

Comments

[Jaakko Rajaniemi]

The article talks a lot about how Nokia Life Tools provides access to information. My question is that does Nokia Life Tools provide means for people to create their own channels of information to others?