Nokia And BlackBerry Bet On Nostalgia To Generate Buzz, Experts Concerned

There was once a time when both Nokia and BlackBerry ruled the roost as the top providers of mobile devices in the world. Everybody wanted a phone that they made, with Nokia’s 3310 and BlackBerry’s 9900 garnering some considerable attention. In the recent Mobile World Congress, which was held in Barcelona, Spain, the two companies unveiled mobile phones specifically intended to tug at nostalgia strings that have tech experts worried.

For those who have been around when the first mobile phones started circulating the global market, the 3310 is something of a legend. Built like a brick and with battery life that could last for days, it was one of Nokia’s crowning achievements before smartphones came around. Its reincarnation almost looks the same as well, with a few differences in the form of the more rounded keypad and the colored screen, CNET reports.

During the event, the unit garnered a lot of attention from fans who remember the phone and the fond memories they have of using it. Even in a place where other companies are launching top products such as the newest flagship phone by LG, HMD’s take on the 3310 still managed to break through the crowd. This is great, but only up to a point.

As the publication points out, relying too much on powerful nostalgia takes the spotlight away from current products. Since HMD took over Nokia, it would seem that the company is still holding on to hope that it can revive the brand’s former splendor. As such, one of the first things that it needs to do is convince the market that it has new products that are worth selling in the future.

Innovation is also at risk thanks to this trend of bringing back retro items for the purposes of tapping into the fond memories of users, Gizmodo reports. Smartphone companies are already running up against a wall when it comes to the kinds of technologies that they can cram into small, thin devices. Turning to remakes is only going to exacerbate the situation.