The Nokia 3310 Returns from the Dead

Megalith

Megalith

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Nokia has just resurrected their iconic handset, and it looks like they did a pretty decent job of modernizing the phone. As you would expect, the screen has been updated with a revolutionary feature called color, and it even plays the classic game Snake. Owners can expect 22 hours of talk time on the device, but those who expected another Android device to add to their collection are sure to be disappointed.

If you need a long-lasting phone for emergencies, or a device that’s tough and safe enough for a child to use – without having to worry about them going crazy with app store downloads or in-game purchases – then the new Nokia 3310 could have a lot of appeal. Of course, those of us who remember the pre-smartphone days with some degree of wistful pleasure might be interested too. Nokia says the new 3310 is expected to retail at just €49 worldwide, SIM-free and unlocked. That works out to about $52, though final pricing and release date are yet to be confirmed.
 
but the bigger limitation is what cellular bands are supported. With GSM 900/1800 MHz alone, that means 2G is your max and – even worse – no support for AT&T or T-Mobile in the USA. Consider our dreams shattered.
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Yikes... not sure the point of this phone in this day and age. Burners are better equipped.
 
22 hours of TALK time...Hell I might buy one of these just as a standby phone.
 
ecktt said:
2 words. Old People.
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Funny you mention that. My mother inlaw at 68yrs old finally got a smart phone and she's an emoticon junky now. Old ppl want to see, hear and facetime with their grand kids. It's not the 80s anymore.
 
thesmokingman said:
Funny you mention that. My mother inlaw at 68yrs old finally got a smart phone and she's an emoticon junky now. Old ppl want to see, hear and facetime with their grand kids. It's not the 80s anymore.
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unless your my wife's ass backwards family.they don't even own a cell phone and practically haven't left the 80s. they still have CRT TVs and a giant antenna on the house (that no longer works), and an old ass Apple Macintosh that her dad still uses for work.
 
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thesmokingman said:
Yikes... not sure the point of this phone in this day and age. Burners are better equipped.
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That was my thought when they first announced they were bringing this phone back. It was pretty legendary back in its day, but that day is long gone. I loved my 24" Sony CRT monitor years ago, by that doesn't mean I'm itching for an updated CRT monitor in this day and age. Aside from nostalgia, I just don't see the point of this. Even then, it isn't the same phone and does anyone really think this will be the same indestructible tank its predecessor was? Top that with these pitiful hardware specs, and this makes even less sense. I just don't get it...
 
There are still plenty of people using dumb/feature phones. Even my secondary phone I use daily is one.

That being said, this 3310 thing years later is just dirty rebading tactics, just as with the whole Nokia relaunch anyway.
 
Dumb phones like this are fantastic as work phones or to take with you to festivals and not worry about pickpockets or sudden storms. The last part I speak from experience. Look up Sonisphere 2010 Pori. Result, a brand new Nokia smartphone soaked and fried during the storm and small tornado. I should have taken my old dumb phone with me during that day...

Which leads me to a question. How durable is this thing? Can you smash this new into a wall and open copious amounts of beer bottles with only a cracked screen as a result?
 
I do like how small it is. If it had more or less full smartphone functionality with web browsing and everything I would actually prefer it to a full size phone. I primarily use the web for youtube for playing music in my car so the screen size doesn't really matter to me.

I remember I used to carry a small flip phone in my little jeans pocket in the front. In fact I don't even carry my phone on me because of the size. I always leave it nearby somewhere or in my bag.
 
I loved and abused the original phone. I have shattered smart phones with 2 foot drops that wouldn't even be a concern for the old Nokia.

I would have liked to see someone drop kicking the phone down a flight of stairs and showing that the phone was 100% functional in the advertisement.
 
Yeah, $50 seems kind of steep. For that much you can get a blister pack smartphone now. This may be useful as a travel phone perhaps but most likely the target audience are older people who want a traditional phone with real buttons.
 
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