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Technological advancements have been happening in quick succession over the years touching on almost every sector of life. When it comes to telecommunication, mobile phones have been launched into the market that boasts of technological sophistication like never before.
HMD has decided to take a step back from all the futuristic gadgets being introduced into the market and bring back some of those old-school gadgets that launched the older generations into the telecommunications era.
Last year HMD has a successful re-introduction of the new improved Nokia 3310 when they decided to bring back the banana phone. In its hey-days, the banana phone was popular for its consideration in the design of the human face. The sliding bit of the phone was gently carved to inch it closer to your mouth for ease of communication.
After 22 years being off the market, HMD has decided to revive the banana phone and plan to re-introduce it in May. The new Nokia 8110 is set to maintain its simplistic nature while hosting limited smartphone capabilities. According to HMD, the purpose of this phone is to allow you to take a break from all the tech and the limitless possibilities and applications that come with today’s smartphones while still remaining reachable in the internet age.
Though it is still designed to be a feature phone, the phone is set to feature social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter, access to Google Maps, Google Assist, emailing, texting and Google search functionality. To truly ensure that you stay connected, the phone is 4G enabled. Apart from evoking nostalgic memories from the consumer through its design, the Nokia 8110 shall remain true to the early Nokia tradition of Snake. To ensure that it maintains an acceptable level of internet functionality, the Nokia 8110 is set to run on the ‘ Smart Feature Operating System (OS)’ which is a forked version of the Firefox OS courtesy of KaiOS.
Other key features of this phone are the ability to pick or end calls using the sliding motion, the helicopter style spin axis, and a user-friendly interface. It is also in keeping with Nokia’s tradition of durability and reliability.
While the younger generations may not be as excited as the older generations about the re-introduction of the Nokia 8110, HMD is still optimistic that it will create as big a buzz as the re-introduction of the 3310 into the market. The hype is bound to be even greater amongst Matrix diehards. For those who are lost, this is the phone through which Neo (Keanu Reeves) receives a phone call from Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) in the escape work scene of the Matrix. This is when Morpheus tries to guide Neo, then Ton Anderson, out of his workplace to avoid his capture by Agent Smith and his men. If you look closely, you can see the subtle product placement as the Nokia brand name is briefly visible as the phone slips off Keanu Reeves’ hands on the ledge. The phone is set to retail at about $85 (£69 or €79)
