The "indestructible" Nokia phone no longer exists.
Microsoft ,which bought the company's mobile division last April, announced that it will no longer use the name for future devices. Instead, its Nokia Lumia smartphones will simply be called Microsoft Lumia.
Nokia ,best known for its durable hardware and early innovation in the mobile phone market, has a long history in the sector. From its dominance of the mobile phone market in the late 1990s to its partnership with Microsoft in 2011 for the Windows operating system, the company has seen its fair share of ups and downs.
Here are 11 signature Nokia phones from its long history.
1. Nokia Mobira Senator
In 1982, Nokia created the world's first car phone, the Mobira Senator. It was based on the analog Nordic Mobile Telephone standard and weighed about 10 kilograms.
2. Mobira Cityman
Eclipsing the Senator, the portable Cityman was Nokia's first portable mobile phone. It weighed about 600 grams and cost about $5,456.
The phone made headlines when then-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was seen using one. As a result, the phone was nicknamed “GORBA.”
3. Nokia 1011
The 1011, released in 1992, was Nokia's first GSM digital phone. The state-of-the-art device at the time had a talk time of 90 minutes, according to the Register, and could store 99 phone numbers. It had no color, no camera, no Bluetooth, and no memory card, terms we find in modern-day smartphones.
4. Nokia 2110
The 2100 series arrived in 1994, with one notable model, the 2110 phone. At the time of its release, its software was described as incredibly advanced. It also included an address book, lots of ringtones, and the classic game of "snake.".
The 2110 was also the first phone to feature the now-famous Nokia ringtone, an adaptation of Francisco Tarrega's "Gran Vals".
5. Nokia 9000 Communicator
The 1996 Communicator was Nokia’s first all-in-one phone. It had email, web browsing, fax, word processing, and spreadsheets, writes Richard Baguley. This was long before the era of Sidekicks, Blackberries, and smartphones in general. However, all of these features came at a hefty price, around $800. The phone had “hit the market too early,” according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.
However, this did not hinder the overall success of the device at the time. By 1998, Nokia was the largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world.
6. Nokia 3210
The 3210 marks one of Nokia's most profitable periods. Released in 1999, it came in six different colors, had picture messaging, additional ringtones, and 4.5 hours of talk time (compared to the new iPhone 6, which lasts about 12 hours). The phone has been praised for its durability (meaning it won't break if you drop it). About 160 million units were sold, making it one of Nokia's most successful mobile phones.
7. Nokia 6650
Nokia released the 6650 model, the world's first 3rd generation mobile phone, in 2002.
The following year, the company released the 1100, a relatively inexpensive phone that sold for $136. It sold over 200 million units.
8. N-Gage
In 2003, the N-Gage was a mobile phone that also attempted to engage the gaming community. This effort, while ahead of its time, did not yield positive results, as the $299 device sold only 3 million units.
The following year, the company warned investors that “second quarter earnings will be below market expectations.”
Two more big blows came in 2007. First, the company was forced to recall 46 million cell phones due to battery malfunctions. Second, Apple introduced its iPhone.
9. 5800 XpressMusic
This 2008 release was Nokia's first touchscreen smartphone. However, Apple's iPhone and Google's Android dominated the smartphone market at the time.
Over the next two years, the company cut about 3,500 employees, despite increasing sales.
10. Nokia Lumia 800
In 2011, the first Nokia Windows Phone, the Lumia 800, debuted. Reviews were generally good for the phone, the first release through a partnership with Microsoft.
11. Nokia Lumia 920
The Nokia Lumia was released in 2012 to much fanfare. Mashable reporter Christina Warren, an iPhone addict, took the phone for a 10-day test drive to see if an iPhone lover could adapt to it. The final verdict? Yes...with a few exceptions.
