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MWC: Nokia 8110, the banana phone from the Matrix is back


Nokia has re-released the Matrix phone at MWC. They have updated the classic phone from the 90's, the slider, the banana phone for 2018. It now has LTE and has a larger screen but otherwise, it's pretty much the same form factor. This shape is pretty ridiculous in 2018 but it works. There is a ton of nostalgia and have wanted one ever since I saw the Matrix, I love the fact that HMD Global which now makes Nokia phones is bringing it back. HMD says that there are still over a billion people who are using feature phones and they think that through some combination of nostalgia, Nokia's recognizable brand name, and just being one of the few people still making decent feature phones, they can actually get some people to buy this thing. The device is going to sell for under $100. You're going to be able to buy it in May 2018 in Europe.

Obviously, the big deal here is the design. It has a curved shape on the outside which is part of what give it the banana phone nickname. Also, it comes in yellow as well as black color. There is a headphone jack on top, it charges over micro USB. It has a 2 Megapixel camera on the back of this thing and I have to tell you it is really not good. The slider is not exactly great but it's not about whether it's good or bad it's about the fact that it was in the Matrix 20 years ago. You have to use a directional pad to navigate the interface, T9 to type and I have to say going back after a decade on Smartphone's is a real wake-up call as to how not great the experience was. So even though you can't get Android apps, there is still an app store. Nokia has partnered with a bunch of companies to fill up with some popular apps. So there's going to be Twitter, Facebook. There's even going to be a whole suite of Google apps including the Google assistant. And of course, this is a Nokia phone, so there's Snake. It can be used as a hotspot, which I guess would be a little bit handier. That's also going to allow it to work on more cell networks around the world.

I'm not really sure what this experience is going to be like but the intention really seems to be bridging the gap between a feature phone and a smartphone by offering at least some of the functionality. 


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