Why I won't be buying a Nokia 3310
Andy Richley
Co-Founder | Helping Retail Operators Drive Growth & Efficiency | Bridging the Gap between Tech and Business
Maybe I'm just not enough of a hipster?
Perhaps I didn't spend enough of my youth playing snake?
Alternatively, I may just be a curmudgeon, grumpily shrugging my shoulders as another emblem of my youth is re-packaged and squeezed for every ounce of profit.
Before I get ahead of myself, I need to confess three things:
- I owned a 3310 back in the day. I was rubbish at Snake.
- I'm not going to buy a 3310 for myself, but I'll definitely be ordering one for my Father. No more calls about connecting to wireless networks, trying to print 'airlessly' or asking 'where all these new apps have suddenly come from'. It sounds like heaven!
- I work for a company that brings ERP for retailers to mobile devices.
Whilst it's great that another generation (and with it being 17 years since the original 3310 was launched, it really is a WHOLE new generation) will get the opportunity to smash their 9 key four times for a 'z', I really can't see why anyone who still needs to work for a living would take such a regressive step.
As with my Father, for people who just need a phone that's mobile, easy to use and basically bomb-proof, the Nokia does make sense. With a month's standby time and nothing to go wrong, there's a lot to like. As a 'back-up' or 'festival' phone I can also see the point.
Which brings us back to those of us that have to work for a living. How would you function without email, the internet and your key apps on your mobile device? Smart phones have come so far in terms of making us more productive and enabling us to do more with less. Going back to the 3310 feels like someone actually dropped an EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) bomb and we're having to pick up the pieces.
I realise that the impact smart phones and mobile devices have on our lives is not perfect. Concerts and sports matches now come with their own smart-phone lighting, courtesy of people recording the moment, rather than living in it.
I would definitely be better off paying more attention to my Wife and the Hound when I'm at home, rather than flicking through Strava, Facebook, Linkedin... (insert your Social Media apps of choice here).
But in terms of getting stuff done. In terms of being able to give of my best at work. In terms of being able to learn, develop and stretch myself every day, I can't conceive of going back.
I wish you joy of your new toy. I know my Dad's going to love his. But don't think you're going to be able to replace the mobile device that's now running your life. You need it!
Category Manager - Indirect at NSK Europe
8yI threatened my 13 year old son with this "new" handset - made him get his homework done !
Qualified copywriter, writer of blogs, creator of social media posts. Posting with purpose, blogging with style.
8yI can't imagine any 'young' people purchasing it. I saw the horror on the face of one young man when he was told you can't access the internet!
Professional Web Developer/SEO Specialist and owner of Sync Creative
8yThere's a lot to be said for a phone that apparently has a 31 day battery life! Unheard of now! As Kristian Downer said, this may be a great backup phone. There's also been talk of this possibly setting trends with the younger generation who can't remember a time when phones were this simple! The really interesting part I heard about was the security of the older Nokia 3310, and in an age where cyber crime is at an all time high surely this is a huge plus, especially with the older generation . Nice post Andy Richley
Interesting article & comments. The Nokia 3310 will have it's place for sure, not least as a great marketing ploy to launch Nokia's return to mobile! I can see a place for it with serious hikers, who need battery life >> 12+ hrs. But a dumbphone like a Nokia 3310 will be much less use than a Smartphone if out off GSM range. A Smartphone, with Google (ideally pre-downloaded) or OS maps saves casual hikers the need to carry paper maps and compass. I can recall several occasions when using my Smartphone solved a route problem, including one in the hills above Beddgelert (N-Wales), when the beaten track turned into a criss-cross of sheep trails! And then there are the 'tracker' apps, that log distance, speed, climb, etc. Walking will never be the same without a Smartphone! :D That said, it would be great if youngsters under the age of 16 decided to give up their Smartphone addiction, buy a dumb phone and discover the joys of active pursuits (as most 20+ yr olds can recall) like walking, cycling, sport, not too mention family board games, family conversation, etc, etc. They might even discover the joys of hiking... but then again, a Smartphone is v-useful for that!! ;) There are a few studies that conclude people who spend all their time on social media are much less happy than those who don't. It might be a great social experiment if every parent bought their children a dumbphone... but the result will be predictable for sure!
MCMI ChMC | Chartered Senior Managing Consultant IBM iX | Gen AI Senior Product Manager | Digital Transformation Evangelist | Young Professional Mentor
8yI was at Orange when this was first released and was there, grubby paw grasping for one as a corporate goody like everyone else because it was new and shiny-ish and well, because I could. Was it a game changer no, that was the Communicator, was it hardy, robust, did the job it was designed for? Yes.Did it change how I was able to work? No. And perhaps that's the point you're missing Andy. Back in the day I was only connected when I was in the office, certainly not at home where dial-up at 9.6kbps was an expensive luxury and never on the move - to this end I switched off, disconnected, hardly ever brought work home, didn't work in the cloud, at weekends or on holiday because I couldn't. Does my smartphone make me more effective, I don't know, does it make me more available and connected? Well yes, but is that a good thing, is there anything I can't do without a smartphone? Answer has to be no. Will I give up my smartphone for a 3310? No - but only because I'm holding out for the re-release of the Nokia 8850 because that rocked!