On: An iconic phone before the iPhone

[pavlov]

IMO the Nokia-style "candy bar" phone is the iconic mobile phone design globally. I don't think I've ever seen a "generic cell phone" drawing that would be a clamshell design; usually it's something that looks vaguely like a late '90s Nokia with the antenna stub.

[amirmc → pavlov]

More specifically, I'd say that the Nokia 3210 [1] was one of the most iconic and recognisable mobile phones. It was the one that came with Snake and created the fad for comparing high-scores amongst friends.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_3210

[Ntrails → amirmc]

I bought a 3210 almost entirely for the game "snake", and the ability to play it during the bus ride to school.

But overall it was a really good piece of kit. Robust, easy to use, etc.

[zem → amirmc]

right, when i saw "iconic phone" my first thought was the nokia 1100, but the 3210 is indeed more deserving of the title

[eloisant → pavlov]

It depends where you lived. In Europe the Nokia 3310 was king, but in Japan clamshell were all over the place.

[sudowhodoido → eloisant]

I'm not ashamed to say that I'd be using a 3310 now but you can't get reliable batteries any more. That leaves only later Nokia dumbphones which are the same in spirit but inferior in usability.

[Aloha → pavlov]

Fair, fair.