A rare chance to gain deeper understanding of design as discursive tool
January 24, 2025 4:31 PM Subscribe
The Nokia Design Archive is a graphic and interactive portal designed by researchers from Aalto University in Finland. It currently hosts over 700 entries, curated from thousands of items donated by Microsoft Mobile Oy and representing over 20 years of Nokia’s design history — both seen and unseen. You can freely explore the archive, learn about designers’ experiences working in Nokia and discover interesting topics surrounding design and mobile technologies.
Here’s the product list page, if you want to find a particular model.
Today I learned that my beloved trusty companion of many years and many countries between 2007 and 2017 was NOT the 101!
The closest I can find is the 1100 “Penny”, though mine had more a more chiclety button style and was a vile combination of blue and orange (that I came to love anyway, because that phone is incredible).
This beast held up through everything - drops, falls into the bucket where rrrrrrrrrt was doing her laundry, cats chewing its face until the plastic cracked… for the last couple of years I used mine, it was held together with a rubber band and still worked great. Probably still does, if I went back to a region where it works! I charge it and read old text messages sometimes for fun. Thank you, chavenet!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 5:56 PM on January 24 [1 favorite]
Today I learned that my beloved trusty companion of many years and many countries between 2007 and 2017 was NOT the 101!
The closest I can find is the 1100 “Penny”, though mine had more a more chiclety button style and was a vile combination of blue and orange (that I came to love anyway, because that phone is incredible).
This beast held up through everything - drops, falls into the bucket where rrrrrrrrrt was doing her laundry, cats chewing its face until the plastic cracked… for the last couple of years I used mine, it was held together with a rubber band and still worked great. Probably still does, if I went back to a region where it works! I charge it and read old text messages sometimes for fun. Thank you, chavenet!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 5:56 PM on January 24 [1 favorite]
Something about this site really, really reminds me of PrayStation.com (link is broken; it just doesn't seem to work anymore) but I guess 26 year old design is now... hip? Or whatever the kids call it?
posted by c0nsumer at 8:59 PM on January 24 [2 favorites]
posted by c0nsumer at 8:59 PM on January 24 [2 favorites]
I used to tell people, when I dropped my phone, "It's okay. It's a Nokia."
I really miss those phones… I once had a gold-colored swivel phone that everyone wanted to have a look at. And then an almost-smartphone (navigation, e-mail and a bit of web browsing, no apps though) with a guitar pick for a stylus. It was really convenient!
posted by demi-octopus at 1:15 AM on January 25 [2 favorites]
I really miss those phones… I once had a gold-colored swivel phone that everyone wanted to have a look at. And then an almost-smartphone (navigation, e-mail and a bit of web browsing, no apps though) with a guitar pick for a stylus. It was really convenient!
posted by demi-octopus at 1:15 AM on January 25 [2 favorites]
I still use a Nokia 105. I decided not to have a smartphone a while back, and since I live in Finland, they’re around. Also, Nokia phones have native Icelandic language support, which is invaluable for me.
The company that’s currently making them under license has messed around with them a little bit, but the basic design is so well thought out that it’s impossible to ruin.
posted by Kattullus at 1:33 PM on January 25 [1 favorite]
The company that’s currently making them under license has messed around with them a little bit, but the basic design is so well thought out that it’s impossible to ruin.
posted by Kattullus at 1:33 PM on January 25 [1 favorite]
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posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:04 PM on January 24 [1 favorite]