NOKIA 3310: 7 Reasons Why it was the Best

Nokia 3310

The Nokia 3310 is probably the most widely used phone ever in Zimbabwe. It began to pop up everywhere in 2001, becoming the hottest phone on the market. It was a special device, far much better than most of the phones people had been using. Let’s take a look at some of the features that made this phone great.

1. No aerial

Before the 3310, it was cool to have a retractable aerial. But the Nokia 3310 changed it all. It didn’t have a protruding aerial, and this became the new cool. To top it off, the 3310 had a fine, curvy look that made all other phones look like ugly boxes.

2. Changeable Covers

Who didn’t change covers at least once? Or at least wish to? It took seconds to do it, and one could get covers in all kinds of colors and designs. People bought 3310 covers like hot cakes, and what good business it was then! With some people replacing worn out ones, with some simply trying to look cool, there was always demand for these covers.

3310 covers

3. Snake II (and Space Impact)

Younger people may not know this, but Snake II is one of the greatest games of all time! You have to understand how much of an improvement it was over Snake I. For once, the snake (which looked a little more like a snake this time) could go through the boundary walls. In addition, more mazes were added, bringing the gaming experience to a whole new level. With all this, Snake II became addictive! But the 3310 didn’t stop there. It had Space Impact, and what an incredible game it was! I personally did not like Bantumi though…

Snake II

Space Impact

4. Vibrate Mode

Remember the saying “uya-vibrator njengeNokia,” which referred to someone who was getting too big for their boots? Yes, it came from the 3310. It wasn’t the only phone that could vibrate, but its vibrating feature was a bit special as it functioned with games. Oh the games!

 5. Screen Saver

Yes, the display was “black and white” (monochrome), but it was much better than many others preceding it. You could have screen savers on a 3310, which was a new thing then.  People could also send these images to each other, and some of them were a little nasty.

Screen saver

 6. Ringing tones

Yes, the ring tones were monophonic, but there were still over 30 of them, and many of them sounded like actual songs! I remember our first cellphone only had 12, and all of them were annoying beeps. The 3310 smashed that. Even better, it allowed you to compose your own ringing tones! That was a first!

 7. Tough Cookie

Hey, that Nokia phone was tough! And heavy. You could drop it all over the place, but it would still hold. Usually, the worst you could do to it was damage the covers, which were easy to replace. But you couldn’t get away with killing the ON/OFF switch. That is where phone repair experts made money. And there were thousands and thousands of these phones.

These are some of the features that made this phone great. Let us all salute the Nokia 3310, the greatest phone ever used by Zimbabweans.

***The 3310 wasn’t my first phone though. Check out my first cellphone.***