The 'brick' phone gets upgraded

Mar 28, 2007 08:33 GMT  ·  By

The Nokia 3310 was one of the most widely used phones back in the days when most mobile phones looked like a brick and came with only texting and calling functionality.

It was quite durable, and despite its users dropping or even throwing it, it would not be damaged. If a user wants a phone only for the sake of calling, then the 3310 may still be considered a good choice, despite it's being quite an old handset. Actually, quite a few people still own one today.

Now the Nokia 3310 has been brought back to life, with a brand new design, and has just received the FCC blessing. Comparing to the original version, the new one will actually pack some of today's functionality and sports a 1.3 megapixel camera, support for Wap 2.0 and SSL, a MicroSD card slot for memory expansion and an email client.

The Nokia 3310 Classic will work on GSM 900/1800/1900 Mhz networks and will also allow the download and installing of Java games and applications. What's interesting is that even though it's supposed to be an 3310 upgrade, the Classic looks nothing like the original. The only thing the two have in common is the classic candy bar form factor and probably the resistance to damage.

Since the 3310 was so popular, maybe this is just Nokia's way to release a phone that might attract more customers due to its name. While it has been FCC approved, which means it should start shipping quite soon, there is no information regarding either price or availability of this handset so far.