There were whisperings that everyone’s favourite indestructible object the Nokia 3310 was copping a re-release – freeing us from the delicate fragility of the modern smartphone – but now it’s a reality. Nokia has unveiled their modern take on the 3310, designed as a consciously minimal-use device in an era of feature-loaded smartphones.
You asked for it… we brought it back. The Nokia 3310 is reborn. #MWC17 pic.twitter.com/UZfHMHIZid
— Nokia Mobile (@nokiamobile) February 26, 2017
It’s not a re-release of the original per se – it’s been totally redesigned. But it does feature a far more minimal operating system and basic featureset, and it only functions with a 2G network. Yes, it has Snake. Based on the video and demonstration, its a redesigned version of the classic. Which, in a way, defeats the purpose of the insanely simplistic game which was nonetheless mindblowing back in 2001.
It also has a colour screen, an SD card slot, and a battery that’ll apparently last a month on standby mode. Not too shabby if you don’t give a shit about the internet or any of the other mod cons.
Nokia has gone through a bit of upheaval over the past few years, dropping out of the phone game by selling its handset operation to Microsoft for US$7 billion and focusing network equipment and its vast patent portfolio. But it’s been making moves again, licensing its handset operations to a company named HMD.
Hence the 3310. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of markets tap into a phone like this – it’s likely that it’ll pick up fans of the original handset who are beset with the smartphone fatigue we probably all know too well.
Also people who just love tearing shit up in Snake. Those guys too.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Getty Images / Bloomberg.
