Common sense against marketers. Letter to Stephen Elop with a proposal to resurrect the Nokia 3310

I don’t know about you, but I think the Nokia 3310 is the best “phone call” phone. I have not seen a single phone that could be compared with him for convenience. Unfortunately, this model has not been produced for a long time, and the development trends according to the principle “more megapixels, more megahertz” do not inspire hope for the appearance of such a model on the market.

I decided to try my luck and write to Nokia CEO Stephen Elop to convey to him the idea that there is no happiness in megahertz. It is unlikely that there will be some reason for the letter, but suddenly my soul cry will be heard?

Under the cut - the text of the letter in Russian and English, as well as a survey on the topic “you would buy a Nokia 3310”.

Dear Stephen Elop.
')
Recently, a fashion has gone to chase after numbers: more pixels, more megapixels, more megahertz. But for some reason everyone forgot that the phone (especially in the low price category) is used as a tool and most of the functions with which the manufacturer equips the device, only to the detriment of its usability.

My dad has been using the Nokia 3310 for more than 10 years. I’m afraid that if the phone breaks down or he loses it, I’ll have nothing to offer him in return - there are no phones on the market, the functionality of which would be at least as good as the 3310 functionality. Now I will explain what I'm talking about.

I’ll make a reservation right away: I’m talking only about low-end phone models designed primarily for calls and SMS. Smartphones, which are more correctly called pocket computers, are devices of a completely different class, and I don’t consider them here.

So. A telephone is a tool. The owner of the phone uses it as a phone book for storing numbers, phone calls to these numbers, as well as a clock and an alarm clock. These are the basic functions that any device must cope with. Please note, the 3310 has all this functionality. And now I will show why modern models cope with these tasks worse than the 3310 does.

First, the 3310 has an excellent monochrome TN-LCD display with a mirror substrate. This means that it can not be lit in the sun - the sunlight will only enhance its contrast. The sun does not even need to turn on the backlight. Now look at modern phones: they all have a color TFT-LCD display without a mirror substrate, and they need a backlight to display the picture. In the sun, the contrast drops so much that it is almost impossible to see something on a bright sunny day. And the 3310 allows you to do this without problems, moreover, you can even watch time on it without touching the unlock keys! Please note, the color display appeared in the budget phone only because of fashion and marketing. It does not carry any functional load and only interferes. But fashion dictates: "there must be a color display." The result: the Nokia 105 display is worse than the 3310, released many years ago.

Secondly, the 3310 has only 4 control keys (not counting the numbers): a soft key, a C key (back / erase), and two arrow keys to select menu items. The off key at the end of the phone is rarely used and does not interfere. Now let's take a look at the Nokia 105, this model has as many as 8 keys: two soft keys, “pick up the phone”, “hang up” and 4 navigation keys. Some models also have a central (middle) soft-key, for a total of 9 keys. Do you think so many keys are really useful? Not. Take a look at the picture.



- Two arrows enough to navigate the menu. Pressing them is much more convenient than trying to get into the rim of the 4-position rectangle of the Nokia 105 (and in the case of the Nokia 206 the task is complicated - you need not to touch the central soft-key).
- One soft-keys missing . The user does not have to think about which soft key to press to select a menu item. One softkey always means either “Choice” or “Continue to do what I did.” There is no need to read and be aware of what is written above it. And when the soft keys are two or three, you have to read the inscriptions and peer at the screen to understand what they are doing. Believe me, when typing SMS it is much more convenient several times in a row without looking to press a single soft key, than to think which of the three soft keys to press to send.
- There is no need for the keys "Pick up" / "Hang up". The answer to the incoming call can still be carried out with one soft key, and exit from the menu with the "C" key. Thus, the presence of the "pick up" and "hang up" keys not only does not increase usability, but, on the contrary, loads up the interface and makes the user think more about which key to press.

Just think: a modern phone makes it necessary to use more actions than was required several years ago for the same operation. And you call it progress?

Thus, it turns out that there is not a single phone that would be able to replace the 3310. Yes, they have something useful (for example, a calendar), but the absence of a monochrome display that does not require illumination and the inconvenient jumble of control keys is too serious a flaw due to which any phone will lose 3310.

Therefore, I suggest you think about creating a phone-successor 3310. So to say, “3310 Reloaded” or something like that. In the era of quad-core smartphones with FullHD-screens, the release of the updated 3310 may seem strange, but in its class of devices it will be able to overshadow almost all competitors, since it will be much more convenient to use such a phone, and the legend of the original can play a significant role in popularizing the device.

Since the updated Nokia 3310 will be used mainly by smart people who value their time and do not pursue fashion, the design of the updated model 3310 should most likely be strict, as in Nokia X2, Nokia X6. This is a telephone for those who understand and can explain why he needs one. This is not a toy. Therefore, it should look appropriate, inspire the idea of ​​the serious intentions of the owner.

A mandatory element that is not in the original device is Bluetooth for connecting a headset. This is one of the few really useful things that progress has given us. Bluetooth must be in every phone.

As for the other functions (flashlight, MP3 player, IR port for remote control, etc.), their implementation is appropriate only if it does not affect the convenience of using the phone and does not destroy the very essence of the revival of the Nokia 3310 model. This, I recall, in the following:
- control of four keys: one soft-key, key "C" and two arrows.
- monochrome TN-LCD display with a mirror substrate. No color TFT displays. Alternatively, you can consider a monochrome E-Ink display, but only if the response time is sufficient for comfortable use.

We have long been living in a world ruled by marketers, not common sense. I think it's time to take the first step to correct the situation.

I hope I am available to conveyed to you my thought. If you want to clarify something or ask a question - write to my email address. I am pleased to take part in the conversation.

- Roman Shuvalov.

The same in English. Translated, as managed, do not judge strictly. For comments on grammar (in PM) I will be grateful.



Email sent to Stephen Elop. If I receive any answer - I will unsubscribe.

Update. Got a response:

Thanks for the many suggestions.
I will share them with the team.
Regards,
Stephen

Also in the “Copy” field the name of the employee to whom the letter was redirected was lit.

And now, if you will, a small survey among the residents of Habr.