Nokia equips its low-cost Asha phones with work email by adding Mail for Exchange support

Remember the days when getting work email in your phone was only possible if you owned a BlackBerry? Well, it’s fair to say that they are already well and truly over, but here’s another nail in that coffin: Nokia just brought work email access to its entry-level devices.

The Espoo, Finland-headquartered firm has continued to focus on its Asha range and today it launched Mail For Exchange, the Microsoft business email program, for the affordable smartphones-cum-feature phone series.

The app — which is available via the Ovi store here — syncs a user’s work emails, calendar and contacts directly to their device, keeping the content up to date with that which is on their work computer. Gmail and Windows Live email programs are already supported on the Asha range, and Nokia says that adding Mail For Exchange makes them “great devices for work too”.

IT managers who want to set up Mail for Exchange for employees on Asha smartphones may like to check out this in-depth guide, while there’s also a quick-start guide for users.

It’s pretty crazy that work email can now be accessed from and synced to phones that cost $99, in the case of the upcoming Asha 501.

That represents a cheap way to outfit your team with email in their pocket.

At this point I’m not sure many Asha owners will have any kind of requirement for Microsoft-powered email on their device, but this is one of those moments that shows the growth of Internet and mobility in emerging markets.

While there’s no support for Office on Asha — and it isn’t clear if that will change — Nokia highlights two apps (Editori Text and Editori Sheet) that give Word and Excel-like support for Asha devices. The world is truly changing.

Headline image via Shutterstock