Nokia Offers Cheaper Windows Phone to Battle Android

Nokia,the world’s third-largest smartphone maker by shipments, will sell a Windows Phone priced at 189 euros ($254) in the second quarter to capture first-time users against similar devices powered by Google Inc.’s Android.

The Lumia 610 will be 30 percent less expensive than Nokia’s current cheapest smartphone running Microsoft’s Corp.’s Windows platform. The device will be targeted at young people to hook them to the company’s new platform. Nokia also announced a high-resolution camera phone as it returned to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Europe’s biggest wireless show, with its first product introduction in three years.

“The new Nokia Lumia 610 is the perfect introduction of Windows to a younger audience,” said Jo Harlow, the company’s smartphones chief. “We are now able to cover a range of needs and a range of price points.”

Nokia Chief Executive Officer Stephen Elop won good reviews for the first two Lumia phones using the Microsoft platform, which sold “well over 1 million” units, he said Jan. 26. Nokia’s shares have fallen about 10 percent since it unveiled those handsets Oct. 26 as consumers continued to bypass Windows Phones in favor of Android handsets costing as little as $100 and Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone, which broadened its range with discounted older devices.