« Back to article | Print this article |
In light of Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's mobile phone business we take a look at the some of its most iconic creations.
Nokia needs no introduction. However, the mobile phone pioneer and one-time market leader is now being reduced to an also ran by Apple and Samsung in the number game.
To improve its falling sales and decreasing popularity, Nokia has taken a bold step by selling its devices and services to one of the top players in the software industry -- Microsoft. This deal will take place in the first quarter of 2014 when Microsoft will take over Nokia's devices and services division for an expected amount of $7.2 billion.
Regardless of the present situation, Nokia will always be remembered for its innovations. In a burst of nostalgia we take a look back on some classic Nokia handsets that have their names etched in history.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
1. Nokia 1011
Nokia 1011 holds a special position in the Nokia family as it was the first GSM network compatible device by the company. Released on November 10, 1992, it was also popular by the name of Mobira Cityman 2000.
Powered by Ni-CD 7.2V 900mAh battery, Nokia 1011 weighed 495 grams, including battery. It had a 2-line 8-character monochrome LCD display with dedicated function symbols.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.
2. Nokia 8110
Popular as Banana phone, Nokia 8110 was released in 1996 and was the first high-end Nokia device. It was not only the first handset with a slider form, but it was also one of the smallest and lightest device at 145 grams.
It was tagged with less than Euro 1000 initially. It held a slim 400mAh Li-ion battery with an extended battery of 900mAh to provide better battery life than its rivals.
The major attractions of Nokia 8110 was that in the science fiction action film, Matrix, released in 1999, this handset was used, which further helped Nokia to gain popularity in the crowd.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.
3. Nokia 9000 Communicator
Released in 1996, Nokia 9000 Communicator was the first attempt by the company to introduce a business-oriented handset. Launched with another first of its kind flip-design, the phone had a long screen along with a QWERTY keyboard.
This device enabled the users to receive SMSes, e-mails, and faxes. Nokia 9000 Communicator operated on GEOS operating system and had an embedded AMD Elan SC450 486 processor clocked at a speed of 33MHz. With a size of 173mm x 64mm x 38mm, the cellphone weighed 397 grams and held an internal memory of 8MB, out of which only 2MB was user available.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.
4. Nokia 7650
This is the first smartphone from the house of Nokia to have Symbian operating system and it was also the first camera phone from the company with 0.3MP sensor.
With an interesting slide-out pattern, it stole many hearts with a newer look and innovative design. The device was released in Q2 2002 and was also promoted in the hit Hollywood film, Minority Report.
The gadget weighed a mere 154 grams and drew power from a lithium-ion 600mAh battery. The internal memory available was 4MB but users were allowed 3.2MB of the storage space only. The 0.3MP camera was capable of capturing images with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.
5. Nokia N-Gage
Manufactured with the intention to give an end to the handheld gaming monopoly of Nintendo, this phone multi-functioned as a handheld gaming system as well.
The company launched the phone on October 7, 2003 and around 3 million units were sold of this uniquely designed cellphone.
It was powered by 104MHz ARM 920T processor coupled with an internal memory of 3.4MB. On connectivity front, the device supported features like HSCSD, GPRS, Bluetooth, etc. The operating system used for Nokia N-Gage was Symbian version 6.1 and was capable to run Java-enabled games.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.
6. Nokia 7710
Nokia 7710 was the company's first attempt at touchscreen devices. Unexpectedly, the cellphone did not gain much popularity, however, it recorded the brand name Nokia in history.
With 3.5-inch TFT touchscreen, a strange shape and keyless body, accompanied by a stylus pen, the handset, was probably launched too ahead of its time.
It hit the ground in November 2004 with Symbian OS and Series 90 UI on top. With a weight of 189 grams, the smartphone had 1MP rear camera, 90MB internal memory and 1,300mAh lithium-polymer battery.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.
7. Nokia 770 Internet Tablet
Nokia 770 Internet Tablet was launched on May 25, 2005 and was the first device to have Maemo (now known as MeeGo) platform that was expected to be the future of the company.
Priced at €359.99, the gadget was designed mainly for wireless Internet browsing and e-mail functions. It weighed 230 grams and had a 4.1-inch display, 64MiB of DDR RAM and 128MB flash memory, 252MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 1710 processor and lithium-polymer 1,500mAh battery.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.
8. Nokia N93
Nokia N93 was a Symbian version 9.1 operated smartphone designed specially for multimedia usage. The handset was equipped with everything that made a multimedia computer.
It was the first phone from Nokia that had Carl Zeiss Tessar lens supporting a 3.2MP rear camera. Released in July 2006, it was the most advanced camera phone of its time.
The smartphone had a 2.4-inch touchscreen, 50MB internal memory, microSD card slot, 3.2MP camera with 3x optical zoom, connectivity features such as Bluetooth, Infrared, USB port and Wi-Fi, dual ARM 11 332MHz processor and lithium-polymer 1,100mAh battery.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.
9. Nokia N95
Also popular as the original 'iPhone killer', Nokia N95 was the biggest release of the company of its time. Launched in March 2007, the Symbian OS powered smartphone was available for €550.
The droid weighed 120 grams and had a slider form factor. It drew power from a dual-core 32MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 2420 (ARM11-based) processor coupled with 160MB of internal memory.
It had a touch sensitive 2.6-inch TFT LCD display, 5MP rear camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 950mAh battery and connectivity options like GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB port, etc.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.
10. Nokia 808 PureView
Nokia 808 PureView was unveiled on February 27 at Mobile World Congress in 2012 and was available in India in June 2012 at a price of Rs 33,899.
Despite having a whopping 41MP Carl Zeiss Tessar lens with Nokia PureView Pro technology for the first time, the smartphone was a failure in the market.
The major reason was the obsolete Symbian platform. It was the first smartphone in the world to have such a huge sensor camera lens. The device also received a Gold Award by Digital Photography Review and Best Imaging Innovation for 2012 from the Technical Image Press Association.
This handset also marked the end of Symbian era due to its failure in the smartphone market.
It had 4-inch Super AMOLED nHD display, 512MB RAM, 16GB internal memory, microSD card slot, 41MP primary camera and 0.3MP secondary camera, 1.3GHz ARM11 processor and lithium-ion 1,400mAh battery.
Check out Nokia Mobile Phones on Rediff Shopping!
Reader Invite
Are you a gadget/gaming wizard/afficianado? Would you like to write on gadgets, gaming, the Internet, software technologies, OSs and the works for us? Send us a sample of your writing to gadgetsandgaming@rediffmail.com with the subject as 'I'm a tech wizard/afficianado' and we will get in touch with you.