Consolidated Gulf Co (CGC), the Nokia associate in Qatar, has announced the local availability of the award-winning Nokia 808 PureView, the first smartphone in the world with a 41 megapixel camera.

Since its global launch in February, the Nokia 808 PureView has received multiple awards, including Best Mobile Device at Mobile World Congress 2012, as well as an award for Best Imaging Innovation for 2012 from the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA).

Anil Mahajan, COO, CGC, stated, “We are delighted to launch Nokia 808 PureView in Qatar, which is a testament to Nokia's commitment to delivering innovative mobile phone products for consumers and to imaging enthusiasts in the region.”

Vithesh Reddy, General Manager, Nokia Lower Gulf, said “Nokia 808 PureView has completely revolutionised imaging performance for the whole smartphone industry - and Nokia is not stopping here.”

The Nokia 808 PureView uses a new technology originating from satellite imaging called Pixel Oversampling and combines Carl Zeiss' exclusive optics and Nokia's advanced algorithms, which combined will offer an unprecedented high-end imaging experience in a smartphone.

The smartphone features a large, high-resolution 41 megapixel sensor with high-performance Carl Zeiss optics and new pixel oversampling technology. At standard resolutions (2/3, 5 and 8 megapixels), this means the ability to zoom without loss of clarity and capture seven pixels of information, condensing into one pixel for the sharpest images imaginable.

At full resolution, it means the ability to capture an image, then zoom, reframe, crop and resize afterwards to expose previously unseen levels of details. The camera offers unprecedented performance in low-light shots, thanks to the pixel oversampling technology and amazing sensor that captures five times the amount of light. With superior low-light performance and the ability to save in compact file sizes for sharing in social networks, email and MMS, the Nokia 808 PureView smartphone makes it possible for anyone to capture professional looking images in any condition, and view it on any device.

The Nokia 808 PureView also includes full HD 1080p video recording and playback with 4X lossless zoom and the world’s first use of Nokia Rich Recording. Rich Recording enables audio recording at CD-like levels of quality, previously only possible with external microphones. The Nokia 808 PureView also features exclusive Dolby Headphone technology, transforming stereo content into a personal surround sound experience over any headphones and Dolby Digital Plus for 5.1 channel surround sound playback.

In addition to the revolutionary experience offered by the Nokia 808 PureView, a variety of imaging mobile applications are available on Nokia store (www.store.nokia.com) to enhance the overall user experience, including:

GetMeRated: An app where instant feedback about pictures posted can be received. By using this app, users can ask questions through photos, comment, rate, vote and share photos and at the same time register with Facebook and twitter accounts.

Vimeo: A community of creative people who are passionate about sharing the videos they make. This app offers users a platform where they can upload, manage, and watch videos from anywhere. They can also browse great videos that match their interests and get inspired by them. The app also gives users stats on plays, likes, and comments related to their videos.

Pikchur: In two simple steps, this app allows users to easily upload their photos and videos to their social networks. By using this app, users can quickly upload their photos, view photo streams and comments of their friends and search for photos and videos using keywords.