Many more Lumia models launched over the following two years, but with Windows Phone never quite gaining traction alongside meteoric Android and iPhone sales, on Septemit was announced that Microsoft intended to acquire Nokia's mobile business for a deal totaling over US$7bn.Īfter rumors of co-branded phones fizzled out, Microsoft announced in October 2014 that they had decided to phase out the Nokia branding entirely, with future Lumia models to exclusively bear the Microsoft name and Windows Phone logos. The 'c' button acted as a 'back', 'undo' and 'delete' key, and the keypad always felt responsive - and could be easily cleaned if it didn't thanks to the removable facia.Ģ011 saw Microsoft launch its first modern smartphone OS in the form of Windows Phone 7, which Nokia was keen to jump aboard, launching the Lumia 710 and 800 models at the Nokia World Conference in late October that year. The top edge of the phone packed a wide power button, while the menu navigation is done through the up/down arrow keys, and menu selections chosen with the blue menu button. Though the display might not look much next to pixel-popping QHD screens on today's phones, the green-lit 84 x 48 pixel monochrome display was easily readable in bright light and had just enough detail to allow Nokia to add some character to the phone's UI and host playable games. Measuring 113 × 48 × 22 mm and weighing in at 133g, the Nokia 3310 wasn't the lightest phone around, but became well-known for feeling distinctly solid, while its smooth lines were afforded by using internal aerials rather than pointy external alternatives. It was the out-right resilience of this iconic handset that today puts it in the mobile phone hall of fame, that and the fact that it sold over 126 million units since its launch. This sleek, compact phone had all the features of the 3210, but in a smaller and lighter frame (133g vs 153g), many customisation options thanks to swappable front and rear panels, along with many other improvements to the internals and software. "It's less about doing something that already existed.The success of the 3210 led Nokia to create the device that gets phone lovers the world over misty eyed: the 3310. "We're more relying on attributes and a similar philosophical approach," Nummela said. "When you take that legacy and move it forward, that's where we have a lot of the passion ingrained." "I don't use the word 'nostalgia' as I use the word 'legacy'," Steve Cistulli, head of TCL's North American business, said in an interview on Saturday. TCL, which is similarly trying to revive the once-beloved BlackBerry brand, believes it's important to move forward with that name. The company doesn't think it's just tapping into a brand's former sway over consumers. The thinking is that in a sea of me-too budget phones, you're more likely to choose the one with a brand you recognize. HMD is starting with midrange to low-end pricing (the phones range from 139 euros, or $147, to 299 euros, or $316) because it sees that segment as the biggest opportunity to make waves. Nummela said that 74 percent of the people who signed up were 30 or younger - people who potentially never owned a Nokia phone before. Surprisingly, most of them weren't old Nokia diehards.
"We thought, what the heck, let's do it," HMD CEO Arto Nummela said during an interview in a small hotel room off the main Las Ramblas drag in Barcelona on Saturday.
It's clear HMD put some thought into the new 3310, which has more rounded curves and new bright colors but retains much of the DNA of the original candy bar phone. Juho Sarvikas, chief product officer of HMD, isn't concerned that the Nokia brand might get relegated to a novelty item and believes the new 3310 will give the startup a chance to do "some fun things on social media." Why not? "How does HMD leverage the old brand and at the same time do brand-new things?" "They have a juggling act," said IHS analyst Ian Fogg.
Nokia candybar phone 2016 3310 update#
"The frenzy of nostalgia around the updated 3310 will deliver some much-needed consumer awareness that Nokia-branded devices are back on the shelves," said Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight.īut here's the rub: Relying too much on that storied name and the novelty factor of a phone that's nearly two decades old (even if the company did update its look) bring their own issues: They threaten to overshadow what you're doing today. And for HMD, which was founded and staffed by many former Nokia executives, attention is a valuable commodity. It's an effective way to get people talking about your products at a crowded trade show like Mobile World Congress, which this year featured attention-grabbers like LG's newest flagship phone and a supposed "Gigabit Phone" from ZTE.
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