When classics make a comeback

By GEO CABRAL

It’s no secret that when old classics make a comeback, older generations can’t help but be nostalgic at seeing things from their younger days returning. And in terms of cell phones, the Nokia 3310 is as classic as it gets.

While I was very young when the phone’s original model was released, I have to admit that when the topic of Nokia phones come up, the 3310 is the first phone that I think of. From the popularity it gained over the years as the “indestructible phone”, to its classic look, to its popular game “Snake,” this phone can probably be regarded as Nokia’s most iconic phone.

I have to admit thought, that I don’t have much memory of the phone other than loving to play Snake on it (and being frustrated at how difficult it was). But I do remember clearly my own first phone; it was the Nokia 5310 Xpress Music and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I remember how awesome it was to have those music control buttons on the side of the phone and how easier it made it for me to listen to music. It was easily the height of cell phone experience for me at that time. Then all that changed when I held my first iPhone.

This was a complete life changer in terms of cell phones. I was introduced into the world of phones that were capable of having everything in one device. It’s safe to say that smartphones have taken over the market now, no matter what brand it is that you have. It’s simply a must for people that their phones are able to do just about anything for them beyond the usual text and call. And we all know that when we freak out about losing our phones or leaving it behind, it isn’t so much about the phone as it is about how it helps us gain access to certain things— like social media, apps, games, etc.

While I’ll always have a soft spot, not only for the 3310, but for Nokia phones as a whole, I wonder whether the revival of the Nokia 3310 will really be able to compete with the smartphones we have today. With a lot of people not only keeping track of their lives through their smartphones, but even living vicariously through it, it seems difficult to think about people reverting back to using phones like the Nokia 3310 (even if it does come in different colors now, or lets us play Snake). It leads one to ask if maybe the only reason to buy the phone is satisfy our feelings of nostalgia.