Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NOK)’s Big New Announcement. Have You Heard?

Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) is getting busy. Since releasing its Lumia flagship handsets running the new Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone 8 operating system last fall, the company has been finding some headwinds in the smartphone competition. But over the last few weeks, the company has been slowly rolling out some smaller-budget phones that will find their way into major markets, but are initially geared for emerging markets which have  lower incomes but are tech savvy and want their hands on the latest tech innovations.

It was a busy news day Friday morning for Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) in this vein, as the company has three different phones that are about to hit various markets in coming days – two of which are launching in the emerging market of India and its 1 billion people.

The first announcement we’re discussing today has to do with a new flagship Lumia handset called the 928 – codename “Catwalk” – that may debut on store shelves in mid-May. An event to reveal the phone is set for London, according to sources, and so far it seems that Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is the only U.S. carrier that has committed to offering the Lumia 928 by Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK). This new smartphone is expected to succeed the still-new Lumia 920.

The new flagship is expected to have a 4.5-inch OLED display, Xenon and LED flash for the camera and will have an aluminum body similar to the Lumia 720 and would be lighter than the 920.

The next step down on the handset ladder – the mid-range option – for Nokia (NOK) is the Lumia 520, which also runs Windows Phone 8 by Microsoft Corporation, which is due to hit store shelves in India Saturday for around $200. This phone was launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month. It has a 4-inch display, a 5 megapixel camera with video capabilities running on a 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor by QUALCOMM Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM).

Next up on our release parade for Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) is a feature phone. But is there a good feature phone available for less than $50? Well …

Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) is moving into the low-income feature phone market in India with a new handset called the Nokia 105, which will hit store shevles in India later this month for about – get this – about $22. This is described as a feature phone for those on a “tight budget.” Ya think? Despite the lvery low price, Nokia says the handset – also launched at MWC last month – will feature a color screen, FM radio support as well as Nokia Life in some areas while running on the Series 30 platform like the Nokia 100 and 101 models.

What are your thoughts about these handset launches announced by Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK)? Can these releases help Nokia gain market share in these various markets? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.