The retro Nokia phone everyone owned 25 years ago will get a reboot soon – and yes, it has Snake (www.techradar.com)
from VITecNet@programming.dev to technology@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 00:35
https://programming.dev/post/13570560

#technology

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PP_BOY_@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 00:39 next collapse

Very exciting to see, I’ve been thinking of getting a daily driver dumb phone for a while now. Any news on US support?

bizzle@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 12:00 collapse

Also interested in a daily dumb phone. Smartphones are… fine… but dumb phones are where it’s at. I had to stop using my BlackBerry Torch last year and I literally cried.

user224@lemmy.sdf.org on 03 May 2024 12:20 collapse

I’d rather like smartphone in a different package.
Like so:
<img alt="" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wsoAAOSwysVkTblJ/s-l400.jpg">

I don’t think they still make such phones though.

lnxtx@feddit.nl on 03 May 2024 01:04 next collapse

Dunno, the HMD’s reboots aren’t good.
From a hardware point of view, they feel good,
but the software sucks.

The S30 OS, before Nokia collapses, was much better.

abhibeckert@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 02:31 collapse

The S30 OS, before Nokia collapses, was much better.

Yeah no - you’re miss-remembering it. For example you had to delete SMS messages otherwise your mailbox would fill up.

It could only fit 10 messages before it’d run out of space, and once full no messages would be received at all.

Also, the battery life was ten days in standby if you didn’t use the phone which was nice but as soon as you started using it… then it only lasted 3 hours. I used to carry two spare batteries in my bag… don’t miss those days at all.

Guy_Fieris_Hair@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 05:09 next collapse

Yeah, this would be a novelty and it was SOLID for it’s time. But we have come a long way, pretty sure my light switches have more processing power than these phones did. This isn’t like your favorite band rebooting, it is a peice of technology that is no longer relevant or even capable of operating on modern networks. The entire hardware will be completely different or it will be a paperweight immediately.

barsoap@lemm.ee on 03 May 2024 06:24 next collapse

It could only fit 10 messages before it’d run out of space, and once full no messages would be received at all.

You often hear programmers cite zero, one, infinity but fact of the matter is… while most if not all of your code should be capable of that, be blissfully ignorant about any imposed limit because it’s going to work whatever you set it to, the application often still should have a limit:

Even if you’re not as ludicrously storage-constrained as those old Nokia bricks the data structure you’re storing it in is going to have some kind of assumptions about up to what number of elements it’s going to be efficient, so in e.g. game programming you write your code, document your assumption in the form of an error or warning thrown if that limit is exceeded, and when the level designers break it you have a look together at the thing and decide whether the limit needs increasing, or the level designers should reign in their use of whatever thingummy is breaking the limit.

Not to mention that just storing an index for an arbitrarily large data structure can take up arbitrary amounts of RAM. Do you really expect me to use variable-sized numbers just so that you can have more than 2^64^ (~1.84×10^19^) messages. Or columns in your spreadsheet, or whatnot.

ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de on 03 May 2024 12:22 collapse

That’s not a software issue. That’s all hardware limitations.

Roldyclark@literature.cafe on 03 May 2024 01:41 next collapse

I love my Nokia dumbphone. Great for when I wanna leave my iPhone behind.

pastermil@sh.itjust.works on 03 May 2024 03:00 next collapse

Hopefully with hackable firmware!

FaizalR@kbin.social on 03 May 2024 03:20 next collapse

I don't think it will sell much.

QuadratureSurfer@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 03:43 next collapse

Right? I still have my brick and it still works fine… even after seeing how high I could throw it.

user224@lemmy.sdf.org on 03 May 2024 03:49 next collapse

Eeh, they already did it with nokia 3310 and 8110 in 2018.
So I guess it still seems worth it.

As a sidenote, what the fuck, that was 6 years ago?

LordWiggle@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 07:19 collapse

I’ll get one for sure. Always handy to have a long battery lasting cheap phone for on festivals, so I don’t have to carry my 1000 euro smartphone which probably won’t survive. I’m always super careful with my stuff, never break my screen or lose my phone. Except when I’m on festivals. All I need is WhatsApp so I can find my friends anyeay. This becomes an issue after day 2, so I need to carry battery packs or be offline. And battery packs for 7 days festival is heavy and annoying.

FaizalR@kbin.social on 03 May 2024 08:59 collapse

It will be good when we don't have access to powerpoint. WhatsApp is a must and wondering if it can support the small screen.

modcolocko@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 03 May 2024 12:31 collapse

it will probably run kaios, so yes

Murdoc@sh.itjust.works on 03 May 2024 03:27 next collapse

Close, I had an 8210, my very first cell phone. Loved that little guy.

ace_garp@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 10:12 collapse

8210, the smallest andnd not as robust as the 33.

I had a 6310, supposed business phone, which was a great all-rounder. Only downside was it had the outline of a dick.

Zehzin@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 04:03 next collapse

Just get an old one, they still work lol

(note: they might not work for making calls I dunno)

RecluseRamble@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 03 May 2024 04:31 next collapse

But do you have a fitting charger?

Zehzin@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 04:40 next collapse

Hundreds in a box somewhere

HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 05:28 collapse

dads everywhere

I fucking knew it

gaael@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 06:20 collapse

What do you need a charger for? We’ll all be dead long before the battery is done /j

RecluseRamble@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 03 May 2024 06:24 collapse

I was really nice to just charge like once a week though…

ares35@kbin.social on 03 May 2024 12:50 collapse

my old phones (going back all the way to the 'real' nokias) went a full month between charges. the last two with 4g volte suck so much power, it is every 2-3 days now, including my current hmd-made nokia (only a couple weeks old) with same capacity battery as what's stated in the article for the 'new' one.

barsoap@lemm.ee on 03 May 2024 06:09 next collapse

If you’re in a country where GSM is native it’s quite likely that 2G is still available. 3G probably got shut down in the meantime but 2G doesn’t need much spectrum and is kept as a baseline compatibility protocol, possibly even mandated by law (because emergency services). It’s also perfectly sufficient for voice calls. Internet is… tolerable if all you’re doing is browsing wikipedia and doing email. It’s easily twice as fast as a 56k modem what are you complaining about.

user224@lemmy.sdf.org on 03 May 2024 12:14 next collapse

If possible, bookmark 68k.news and frogfind.com on those phones.

barsoap@lemm.ee on 03 May 2024 12:37 collapse

Ha! If only. They at most had WAP browsers and noone was using them because you paid like five bucks per transferred byte.

user224@lemmy.sdf.org on 03 May 2024 12:42 collapse

If we’re referring to such old phones, the only WAP site I know is the test from Nostalgia Nerd. From this video [YouTube]

PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks on 03 May 2024 12:43 collapse

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unphazed@lemmy.world on 04 May 2024 02:36 collapse

Ah my us robotics 28k modem… it sang a sweet song to prepare me for the bloodshed of TF and Painkeep.

LordWiggle@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 07:14 next collapse

To call someone you need to have friends. Who needs friends when you have snake?

thehatfox@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 07:50 collapse

I’ve still got a 3310 in a drawer, it still turns on, and if I had a SIM card for it would be fully working as the UK still operates a 2G network (for now at least).

There’s even removable fascia plates still for sale on eBay.

Daqu@lemm.ee on 03 May 2024 04:06 next collapse

Please make a new 8910

Boomkop3@reddthat.com on 03 May 2024 04:54 next collapse

Another reboot?

TheBat@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 05:16 collapse

That’s what I thought. They have already relaunched 3310 few years back.

nossaquesapao@lemmy.eco.br on 03 May 2024 05:43 next collapse

An easy cashgrab, perhaps?

Boomkop3@reddthat.com on 03 May 2024 10:35 collapse

The previous reboot was a marketing stunt. The Nokia factory was acquired by Microsoft and the thing they made is actually pretty nice. It supports WhatsApp, maps, snake, etc

LaggyKar@programming.dev on 03 May 2024 06:12 collapse

The problem is the previous one only has 2G, and the 2G networks will soon be shut down, hence why they’re making a 4G version.

Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 06:38 collapse

They put out 3G and 4G models of the 3210 and 8110 in 2017 and 2018. But yeah it’s probably time to refresh as most of the 3G networks have been sunsetted.

doublejay1999@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 05:57 next collapse

I miss the designs. Nokia, sony, Motorola…. All trying stuff.

We gave up a lot to carry these black mirrors around.

Plopp@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 08:41 next collapse

And as a bonus, they (at least the Nokias and Ericssons) could be used as weapons.

TimeSquirrel@kbin.social on 03 May 2024 10:28 next collapse

Are you sure you don't just want another camera stuck to the back? Maybe you have one too many external ports?

Chadus_Maximus@lemm.ee on 03 May 2024 10:37 collapse

The battery is kind of important so any place that could be used for a gimmick is better used for a bigger battery. Back then I don’t think anyone cared about battery size. I just charged my phone when it ran out.

doublejay1999@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 10:48 collapse

Cos batteries lasted about a week before they had to power 5” super bright LCDs

vext01@lemmy.sdf.org on 03 May 2024 06:14 next collapse

Wasn’t it already rebooted not so long ago?

Aggravationstation@feddit.uk on 03 May 2024 06:23 next collapse

Sure was. Seems all Nokia can do now is make middling Android phones or try to cash in on nostalgia.

z00s@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 06:31 next collapse

It’s not just nostalgia. I absolutely want a phone I can throw at a wall and put back together without it costing me money.

Aggravationstation@feddit.uk on 03 May 2024 06:37 next collapse

Yea, but the modern ones aren’t like that. No company would make the mistake of making a high quality durable product these days. No profit in that.

rottingleaf@lemmy.zip on 03 May 2024 12:40 collapse

There would be profit if there were actual competition. But the industry nowadays is eerily similar to geopolitics.

echodot@feddit.uk on 03 May 2024 10:23 collapse

A modern smartphone has a screen that’s going to break. Those old phones had a block of plastic that was an LCD screen and then some buttons made out of some form of rubbery sponge.

They broke all the time, the point was that you could just put them back together again in 30 seconds. Everything is glued in place now, so when shock happens they rip and snap.

mbirth@lemmy.mbirth.uk on 03 May 2024 08:22 next collapse

This isn’t Nokia. It’s HMD. They just paid to be allowed to slap the “Nokia” label on their devices and shape them like those old Nokia phones.

JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz on 03 May 2024 12:13 collapse

The actual Nokia hasn’t been in the mobile phone business for a decade. They sold it all to Microsoft in 2014 with a licence deal for using the Nokia name, and they then sold it to HMD Mobile in 2016. That name deal should expire this year, but they might renew it.

Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 06:41 next collapse

Yeah, but the 3G networks are pretty much all gone, and iirc even the 4G reboots didn’t support a ton of LTE bands.

Bezier@suppo.fi on 03 May 2024 10:14 collapse

Different model.

menemen@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 09:02 next collapse

I still have my 3310, but lost the charger. So I don’t know if it is still working.

My children now use what is basically a cheap 3310 copy (also from Nokia, no internet).

chiliedogg@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 18:24 next collapse

It could always be used to level a foundation.

Codandchips@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 18:52 collapse

but lost the charger - Hey, I’m in the UK but I have a drawer full of Nokia chargers if you need one! ( I keep them to impress the ladies, along with my collection of IKEA Allen keys…)

menemen@lemmy.world on 04 May 2024 11:33 collapse

Lol thanks. But I am in Germany. :)

Coreidan@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 11:37 next collapse

And I will bet money that the reboot is going to a cheaper shitier version of the original.

rottingleaf@lemmy.zip on 03 May 2024 12:39 collapse

Running buggy laggy unsupported KaiOS at that.

Imagine if Nokia had risen from the dead and continued the N900 line.

How cool a Maemo PDA would be now with all the spying sloppily made crap around.

bitwolf@lemmy.one on 03 May 2024 13:17 next collapse

All I need are Signal, maps, Plex, and the ability to Dev on the device 🙏

lauha@lemmy.one on 03 May 2024 13:51 collapse

Maps, lol!

Pacmanlives@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 14:13 next collapse

Does it have a replaceable battery and can I still use it as a murder weapon and place a call afterwards? Asking for a friend

emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works on 04 May 2024 08:27 collapse

I couldn’t find details on this particular model, but all Nokia dumbphones released so far have easily removeable batteries and can be used as a murder weapon in a pinch.

TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 14:27 next collapse

I hate how Microsoft sent a new CEO to Nokia, who then tanked the company, got them bought by Microsoft, and then was rehired in another role by Microsoft.

What makes it even worse is that they couldn’t even keep Nokia going once they did their takeover.

I’m still furious about the whole thing. It’s insane they got away with such blatant market manipulation. Microsoft is untouchable.

FunnyUsername@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 14:45 collapse

Me too. I always thought of Nokia as genuine innovator’s delivery good products. Not fantastic products. But good products with CONSUMERS in mind and their usage habits, rather than designing phones around optimizing selling us things.

TacoThrash3r@sh.itjust.works on 03 May 2024 14:27 next collapse

I just want my side sliding keyboard…

redcalcium@lemmy.institute on 03 May 2024 15:12 next collapse

I’m more of a Space Impact guy

Brewchin@lemmy.world on 03 May 2024 20:08 next collapse

If the SIM standard didn’t change every few years, presumably for the same reason CPU pin-count changes ($$$), this might be a great phone for international travel, protests/marches and such.

As for Snake: meh, it’s fun, but it’s easy enough to code for yourself… Angela Yu’s “100 Days of Code” taught me that. ;)

hedidwot@lemmynsfw.com on 04 May 2024 09:22 collapse

Cheap shitty knockoff reboots of a product are not newsworthy or even post worthy.

Is my opinion unpopular?