ESPOO, Finland - The Nokia 5230 was first announced in late August as a budget entry to the Symbian S60 fifth-edition family, and is now in the news again. Extensively reviewed by GSMHelpdesk, the 5230 has been given thumbs up for its entertainment quotient and given its entry-level pricing, it is bound to make an impact in the market.

The Finnish giant's first entry into the touchscreen bandwagon - Nokia 5800 XpressMusic - has been a market success with over 8 million users worldwide and going strong with the recent update Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition. Further cashing in on the popularity of the 5800, Nokia has stripped some of the features from its 5800 and added a few in its  budget device Nokia 5230. The phone is the cheapest Symbian S60 fifth-edition device to date but lacks Wi-Fi and true GPS when compared with Nokia's first Symbian fifth-edition device.

The exterior of the device bears a striking resemblance to the 5800 but the widgetized homescreen, along with differently-colored rim around the edge of the device contrast it to the best-selling Nokia touchscreen device.

While Nokia has stripped some of the high-end features from the 5230, the incorporation of A-GPS, which works on cell-tower triangulation, sets it apart from offerings from other competitors in the same segment. Considering the third-party application support for the S60 platform today, the 5230 may as well be the common man's smartphone.

Live Images of Nokia 5230 Courtesy of DailyMobile

The presence of a standard 3.5mm headphone jack is another feature which has been generating positive feedback from reviewers and fans alike. Considering the pricing,  which is expected to be around US$225, the device is very well endowed when it comes to music/media capabilities. While the 2 megapixel camera may be a let down for shutter bugs, the overall package is pretty attractive for the given price tag.

The device should be hitting the shelves in a couple of weeks and is largely expected to open the floodgates for music lovers on budget looking for an entry-level music device. Further, the presence of the S60 platform, along with the Ovi Store support should attract smartphone lovers on budget to the 5230 bandwagon.