We may live in a digital world full of amazing and out-of-the-box technologies, but we can’t help but reminisce about the good old times when life was so much simpler. Back then, we had to do things by hand in the absence of modern household appliances. It also takes days, week, or months for letters to reach people depending on where it came from. But now, you can read SMS texts or online chats in real time.

We may enjoy all the comforts and convenience offered by all these high-tech technologies (E.g. computers and laptops and cloud technology), there are still those who relish the simplicity of old phones – especially the older population who used those technologies back in the days. Simplicity helps, and can help users avoid catastrophic mistakes. You simply just use it to call or text, not complicated at all. Not to mention that its battery life can also last for days. A modern smartphone battery only lasts mere hours especially if you are on data mode and streaming videos online.

If we take a quick peek not too far into the past, we will realize that there existed a completely different mobile market with phones that used to look and function a lot different from our current smartphones and other handheld devices. Today, there are smartphones with tens and hundreds of features and of course the keyboard clustered clumsily under their gigantic screens, unlike simpler times when old form factor phones came with fewer features and easy to use interfaces. Smartphones today have twisted designs with displays swiveled and mounted in a way that not only makes these devices comparatively difficult to carry around and handle; rather their prices and complicated interfaces also pose an issue to users. Therefore, we saw a mighty blow in MWC this year by the introduction of 2000s form factor phones.

Why the comeback of these old and outdated phones then? Is there a market that will willingly embrace their return?

The majority of you must have started off with a flip phone or what we call now an old form factor phone during the initial days when handheld mobile phones first took the markets by storm. These old form factor phones were not only spot on at doing their job, they also came at a much cheaper price and were very easy to operate as well. Even though high-end, feature-loaded smartphones have managed to create a loyal fan base for themselves, it is needless to say that old form factor phones have also stood firm against the test of time and are making their way back to the hands of humans. The old form factor phones are very different from the current age smartphones in terms of size, layout, price, the position of components, shape, and style to name a few!

(Via: http://www.business2community.com/mobile-apps/old-form-factor-phones-likely-return-end-2017-01796887#weOjdD6UTI2wxRq7.97)

A much-awaited comeback!

Most of the time, technology just keeps moving forward and we as consumers keep moving along with it, but there are exceptions. Many of us have record players and listen to music on vinyl along with our MP3s or we still shoot photos on film, even though digital images are far easier to process and share. There are many reasons for this, from nostalgia to a genuine preference for the performance of the older technology.

It looks like cell phones from the past decade to 15 years or so, are starting to find that place in people’s lives as well.

Smartphones are amazing. They connect us with our world in ways we probably couldn’t even imagine our phone doing just a few years ago, but they also have their downsides like fast-draining batteries, large size and addictive qualities.

A recent news story that has made the rounds in several publications is about how a wave of people — young and old alike — are returning to old school, simple cell phones instead of smartphones. The smartphone market isn’t slowing down, but many people are choosing the older models for a wide range of reasons.

(Via: http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/why-old-school-cell-phones-are-making-comeback.html)

We may love technology but it does not mean we do not miss the simpler things in our past. Such is the case of the Nokia 3310 – the most popular and indestructible cellular phone of its time. And who can forget playing the classic game of snake, right? People are anticipating when they can get their hands on it again with recent news of its comeback set this year.

The world’s largest mobile phone conference, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), kicks off officially in Barcelona on Monday, with the industry’s biggest names heading to the Catalan region of Spain to unveil their new gadgets and discuss the industry’s most pressing issues.

But it is the resurrection of a 16-year-old classic ahead of the show’s official opening that has mobile enthusiasts most excited.

The Nokia 3310, the iconic feature phone launched by the Finnish mobile pioneer in late-2000, is set for a comeback at a launch on Sunday afternoon, in an event organised by the brand’s new owner HMD Global.

(Via: http://www.thenational.ae/business/technology/20170226/iconic-nokia-3310-set-for-relaunch-at-mobile-world-congress)

Technology keeps on progressing and we try our best to keep up. But news of the Nokia 3310’s comeback is a welcome reprieve. Cellphones came into existence because people want to keep in touch with the people they love. But these old phones, unfortunately, do not have access to the cloud. Because of this, when they crash, often recovering data is only possible with the help of a clean room (https://www.harddriverecovery.org/about/clean-room-data-recovery/). This is something every user really should understand.

Over time, new and cooler features have been integrated that the original cellular phone design is but a shadow of typical smart and android phones we see now. But then, nothing can beat the original. Let us wait and see how the comeback of this cellphone classic can change the mobile market today.