ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK: Nokia 3310 back with a bang, sporting crazy colours and that long battery life
In an age of ever more powerful smartphones, is there still room for the humble feature phone? Many were sceptical when HMD Global heralded the return of the Nokia brand by declaring it would bring back the much-loved 3310, a device that electrified the market at the turn of the century. It had sold more than 120million units, making it one of the bestselling cellphones of all time. Those who remember it talk fondly of its battery life and durability, and tend to forget what initially made it a hit among the youth: it allowed text messages more than twice as long as the mandatory 160-character limit of an SMS. When HMD bought the rights to the brand from Microsoft last year, the new owner sought to leverage the loyalty the Nokia name had inspired by bringing back an iconic device from its heyday. The "reimagined" 3310 does not look much like the original, though, with gaudy plastic colours. It also costs a lot more than most basic phones, starting at around R650 - the price of a dec...
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