At the beginning of the millennium, when a mobile phone was just a phone and not a device that doubles up as your television set and personal computer, a sturdy little blue phone called Nokia 3310 reigned supreme.
It had a tiny monochrome display that would not respond to your touch.
Launched in 2000, it went on to sell more than 12.6 crore units and attained a cult status.
People get nostalgic when they think of the device which they adored a decade and-a-half ago. Little wonder then that they are excited by news reports that the Nokia 3310 could well be making a comeback at Mobile World Congress starting in Barcelona on February 26.
Malayalam actor and director Joy Mathew is one of them. “I will buy it on the launch day itself,” he told The Hindu . “I used it for a few years while working as a journalist in Dubai. It was my second phone; it remains my favourite device even after all these years,” he said.
A strong body and a durable battery were some of its strong points. It also boasted a calculator, a stopwatch and a few games.
The arrival of the Android operating system and the iPhone signalled the beginning of the end for Nokia. The company had to pay dearly for not embracing Android. Even the takeover by Microsoft did not help much.
Now, HMD Global Oy, also based in Finland, holds the rights to market phones under the Nokia brand. Its first phone, Nokia 6, which runs on Android, was launched in China earlier this month.
More such Nokia phones are expected to be introduced in Barcelona, but it is 3310 that has created the most buzz.
