Juho wants your suggestions!

madbilly

Hi all,

@juho recently posted on Twitter asking which retro, "originals" Nokia phone HMD should make next? We have had the new 3310, the new 8110 4G, but what next? Please post your suggestions below and I hope that @matteo.m or @maria.03 can gather them and share with Juho.

My suggestions:

• Nokia Communicator! But rather than fold-out, use the horizonal slide-and-tilt mechanism from the E7 and N950.
• Asha! By this I mean the models with a QWERTY keyboard on the front, no sliding mechanism.

Cheers

singhnsk

I'd rather have new phones and not dig the phones of the past. The 8110 4G was an attention grabber but ruined by the OS, especially in India where it was forced with non-removable Jio's apps and services which was a truckload of bloatware for anybody not on Jio's network.

How about build something innovative which the others try to copy instead of a blast from the past, which is a copy of your own product.

Don't get me wrong, these remakes can bring old memories and remind of the old days, especially to those who have spent their time with those phones in the past. But then they are overpriced and charge a premium to give those memories back. Now only if they would have beefed up the cameras and storage on the 8110 or the 3110 before asking a price higher than Nokia 1 (actually close to Nokia 2) and still not delivering what you should expect from the product in 2018.

madbilly

Hi @singhnsk, I only suggseted those two models because I think there's still a market for phones like that and HMD could do them well. If they're overpriced retro-remakes then I agree that I'd rather have new products.

Cheers

Kartik Gada

madbilly said:

Hi all,

@juho recently posted on Twitter asking which retro, "originals" Nokia phone HMD should make next? We have had the new 3310, the new 8110 4G, but what next? Please post your suggestions below and I hope that @matteo.m or @maria.03 can gather them and share with Juho.

My suggestions:

• Nokia Communicator! But rather than fold-out, use the horizonal slide-and-tilt mechanism from the E7 and N950.
• Asha! By this I mean the models with a QWERTY keyboard on the front, no sliding mechanism.

Cheers

I would prefer bringing back the ASHA line up. This was more recent and many young people know about it too. HMD's Feature phone line up looks so dry recently. They also stopped selling their only big-screen feature phone the Nokia 230 in India. They should bring ASHA with different form factors. They tried Slider not it is time for the QWERTY and Flip but with a display size of 2.8" and nothing less than that if they are charging a price more than the Nokia 1.

madbilly

Ooooh, well I hope they are cheaper than a Nokia 1. The Asha brand was a great fit for "smart feature phones" - and if they'd been 5 years earlier they would have been called smartphones! It also associated very well with the idea of having fun and socialising with your phone, which is what HMD seems to want to promote for it's low end smartphones too. KaiOS would be a good fit for Asha, if they can make it work well.

Cheers

Kartik Gada

madbilly said:

Ooooh, well I hope they are cheaper than a Nokia 1. The Asha brand was a great fit for "smart feature phones" - and if they'd been 5 years earlier they would have been called smartphones! It also associated very well with the idea of having fun and socialising with your phone, which is what HMD seems to want to promote for it's low end smartphones too. KaiOS would be a good fit for Asha, if they can make it work well.

Cheers

Nokia 3310 cost ₹3199 and Nokia 1 costs around ₹3700. Nokia 8110 4G costs ₹4999 which is same as the price of Nokia 2.1. ASHA devices with touchscreen were marketed close as smart feature phones because even some S40 devices with keypad could install different apps like Whatsapp. ASHA was just a step above the S40 and Nokia ASHA 230 was the lowest priced touchscreen Nokia ever made. We need more devices like the Nokia ASHA 230. I would prefer an SFOS powered device over the KaiOS. Even the S30 on Nokia 220 4G is a capable feature phone os of it can provide support for wifi and hotspot. 😁

They should revive the ASHA brand with some unique phones and not just remake some legacy devices. I love what they did with the Nokia 3310 but didn't like what happened with the Nokia 8110. 

*I forgot to mention an important point after the 2nd point of my previous comment. 😅 As more young gen knows about the ASHA brand it will be easier to connect with them which HMD is currently trying. 

luckyjim17

Yep, Nokia communicator or Asha with keyboard gets my votes. Regarding a new product I’d suggest a feature phone that could be used like a normal feature phone and a messenger hone like the LG extrovert which had a larger keyboard which could be slid out once the phone was turned to the side. Battery life was around 14 days. Nokia could use the insides of an existing phone but simply add a new case and keyboard, adapt it to take the keyboard for sideways use.

luckyjim17

Just looked up Nokia E7 and like the look a lot. Looks like Nokia / HMD would only need to reissue the phone with little or no changes. Just would need a good battery life (14+ days).

madbilly

E7, N950, etc all these horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard form-factor type phones would be great to bring back, although since the Communicator was a flagship (as were all other phones in that form factor) I'd be concerned about Nokia bringing back that form-factor without good specs and a good OS.

I notice that very few people have mentioned flip phones, but HMD are rumoured to be launching one very soon

Kartik Gada

madbilly said:

E7, N950, etc all these horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard form-factor type phones would be great to bring back, although since the Communicator was a flagship (as were all other phones in that form factor) I'd be concerned about Nokia bringing back that form-factor without good specs and a good OS.

I notice that very few people have mentioned flip phones, but HMD are rumoured to be launching one very soon

Also, this form factor will be costly to make and as you said we don't have a good os to go with it. Personally, I don't like the idea of remaking old premium Nokia phones with current requirements in mind. As i earlier said. 3310 was nice but remaking a premium 8110 4G and turning that into a plastic toy wasn't a nice idea IMHO.

BTW I did mention Flip phones above. Yes, 2720 could be coming soon most probably powdered by KaiOS and with support for 4G just like the Nokia 8110 4G. Will they include a secondary display too? 🤔 That would be a pricey feature phone. 😅

luckyjim17

I like the idea of a Nokia flip phone. Something I’ve been interested in for a while. Hopefully it will be available soon. Messager phone is also on my wish list.

madbilly

Hi @Kartik Gada, yes you did mention flips, but most people don't (although we will do now).

Now I think about it, a premium flip phone may be quite popular. There is a growing trend in "western" markets, especially the USA, and maybe elsewhere, to "reduce screen time", and "switch off". That's one of the things that the 8110 4G was marketed for, but of course we all know that anyone who buys a phone with a web browser, email, facebook... cannot be serious about reducing screen time!

A premium flip phone may run KaiOS, it may even run Android Go or Android One! Why? Maybe you know about the new Palm phone? It's a small 3" smart phone that is intended as a "companion" phone to people's big smartphones for when then don't want to take the big phone around with them (er, like a tablet and a small smartphone then, you ask? Yes, exactly! ). A flip phone with dual display could have a 3" touch screen display and a T9 keypad. That would be quite the combo wouldn't it?!

But they'll probably make an expensive toy with no real innovation. We can but dream!

Cheers

Kartik Gada

madbilly said:

Hi @Kartik Gada, yes you did mention flips, but most people don't (although we will do now).

Now I think about it, a premium flip phone may be quite popular. There is a growing trend in "western" markets, especially the USA, and maybe elsewhere, to "reduce screen time", and "switch off". That's one of the things that the 8110 4G was marketed for, but of course we all know that anyone who buys a phone with a web browser, email, facebook... cannot be serious about reducing screen time!

A premium flip phone may run KaiOS, it may even run Android Go or Android One! Why? Maybe you know about the new Palm phone? It's a small 3" smart phone that is intended as a "companion" phone to people's big smartphones for when then don't want to take the big phone around with them (er, like a tablet and a small smartphone then, you ask? Yes, exactly! ). A flip phone with dual display could have a 3" touch screen display and a T9 keypad. That would be quite the combo wouldn't it?!

But they'll probably make an expensive toy with no real innovation. We can but dream!

Cheers

It wouldn't be a good combo imo. Because it would be quite difficult to reach the screen when you are holding the keypad. Yes, it can have a touchscreen but it would be mostly used with the keys just like old flip phones. I don't believe in those switch off ideas as I am sure it is not possible to do it always. A human's life is now tightly connected to all the service he/she uses on a smartphone. Yes, you can switch to a dumb phone during weekends and stay away from work mails and other distractions but most people go for some trips around their city or town and a smartphone is a must as it is the best camera you have in your hand, a good music player, a good GPS and so on. 

The idea of the companion phone can be done in a better way and it is done in India where you will find many dumb phones that connect to smartphones via Bluetooth and act as a secondary device (they are cheap to buy 😆). That palm was way to overpriced and i don't see it pick up even in the US. A very few people would be interested in such possibilities and that is a niche segment. Nokia can do that with their upcoming flip phone as it xould be that one more added advantage to buy that phone for those who aren't Nokia fans and are interested in a companion device.

If someone needs to cut the cord then I feel Nokia 220 4G is the perfect phone. 😁

luckyjim17

I disagree with Kartik Gada. The main problem for most people wanting to get a decent feature phone is the lack of decent models that used to be available years ago. Poor quality cheap models with useless components (bad camera is worse than no camera at all). Slow or very restrictive OS, loads of models which don’t have all the features required which are across different phones doesn’t help in anyway. Look at people are shouting about at existing models shows there is a lack of appetite from Nokia to get a few good quality models based on what people want which keeps them away from feature phones. I know loads of people who use their phones mainly to talk and message but what’s on offer doesn’t have WhatsApp or no WiFi to save them mobile data or no barcode/QR code reader, etc. Why can’t older OSs be looked at (example S40 / S60 would trounce S30 or Kai OS for smart features). Being able to use a feature phone to link to a tablet for data usage is something I’d use today. Why not have an S40 /S60 phone with a great battery lasting a month on standby which has an App Store I can customise my phone with using all features offered by Nokia would be great (not just games). The problem in the past was the store had poor quality downloads which cost money. Why not put all software on Nokia feature phones available to customise your phone to have the choice to add or remove Facebook, WhatsApp, snake, camera editing, banking apps, scientific calculator, Dropbox, Here Maps, etc. Nokia could show how their own phones could be customised for how users want them, including changing basics like wallpapers. Think if I call mainly a candy bar format is OK but not if I message a bit then think more keyboard format. I really want a decent flip phone that doesn’t look like a toy or spontaneously self destructs after use or a decent messenger phone. Smartphones drive me crazy needing to be charged every other day or needing updates every other month when I want to call and message and have a to do list and a torch. Nokia 105 doesn’t work for me - wrong shape and would drive me nuts to use as a messenger phone. If LG produced their slide out keyboard messager feature phone worldwide I’d be very interested. I’d hope Nokia would take note of this blaringly obvious gap in the market but I feel this would be too much w hope for.

Kartik Gada

@luckyjim17
S40 would be a very good option if it returns but I doubt it will happen. I myself have said this many times and I like S40 for its snappiness and ability to run on extremely less powerful hardware. 
The uses of feature phones which you shared are more like of a primary phone that one will use and there are not many who would be scanning a QR Code on a feature phone. Yes, smart feature phones are on the rise and this could be made available on those devices along with various messaging apps like WhatsApp, etc. I am not sure if banks would be ready to make apps for feature phones so I won't comment on that. 

You said it would be difficult to for you to use Nokia 105 as a messenger phone. But the Nokia 105 is not a messenger device. It is just made with Calls and SMS in mind. A very basic feature phone that sells for less than 1000INR here in India. Now, if we go back in time when Nokia made S40 based feature phones you will find that Nokia also made Nokia 105 like devices running on S30 OS which were priced lower and had fewer features as compared to the S40 devices. So, features come at a price and for 1000INR you can only get a Nokia 105.

I agree that some Nokia feature phones sell for higher prices like the Nokia 216, Nokia 230 and these devices use S30+ OS. These are the devices which should be given a software treatment and I agree with you that Nokia Mobile should use a better OS that is usable and supports some apps and has its own little app store. 

If we look at the feature phone market there are only two well-known brands which are still in the world feature phone market and those two are Nokia and Samsung. If Samsung pushes this segment with one good smart feature phone and starts marketing then it would be a lot difficult for Nokia to fight. They should definitely start pushing this segment and make their own space where others will follow them.

Now tell me this. Did you disagree with me because I said Nokia 220 4G is a perfect phone? 😅

luckyjim17

Firstly yes the feature phone market has declined however there are still manufacturers around. LG and Samsung still sell models in the US. Mobiwire, Alcatel are also available in Europe and there are a few others. Maybe I didn’t explain my points well however I’ve posted my thinking around the forum regarding Nokia looking at how people use phones and have a few models which reflect this. Yes the 105 is a basic model which would not have lots of the features mentioned. But strip away things that do not help (low quality cameras are a key example) then look at improving what’s left with the budget (quality of calls, phone build, how the product feels and usability). Don’t complete on features think quality of the user experience. Next level up would be the 220 4g type phone which offers different form factors such as flip, candybar and keyboard messaging. This level would have the customisation App Store to add / remove software features. Also have an online Timex style personal colours for case, buttons, wallpapers, etc on purchase Swatch also have this style of options using existing parts. Then have a premium option (Remember the Nokia 501 but use materials like leather, metals and ceramics). The premium level is the 220 4g type phone with more plush materials. Regarding the banking comment I was thinking more SMS statements as previously offered in days of old rather than full online banking also look towards something like MPasa as used in Africa on feature phones for basic payments. Nokia 220 4g would be good with option to add remove features from the full feature phone/ smart feature phone range and be like the Asha messenger phone (210 I think but could be wrong about the number - the square one but have more pronounced keys). No such thing as perfect as there are always improvements to be made even if they are marginal gains. Thank you for your points

luckyjim17

One thing that didn’t improve over time was to make keys flat. Blackberry got their keys to feel and react really well. The biggest problem was their phones were very expensive and they failed to diversify to different customer markets. Have seen a lot of people buying blackberry classic phones after being disappointed by smartphones. Biggest problem is blackberry OS is dead. Nokia could add the customisation App Store with their proprietary OS as it would be used for their own feature options making an existing OS and phone product more adaptable. New apps could be trialled on a feature phone beta lab for customer views as was Nokia Maps (now here maps).

Kartik Gada

@luckyjim17
What you want from a premium feature phone is not possible. Using Ceramic and other such premium materials on a feature phone would unnecessarily increase its cost and very few would be interested in such phones. Regarding SMS banking it is possible on any type of feature phone (at least here in India) and the same for Vodafone m-Pesa. 

I don't understand why do you bring Timex and Swatch products to compare to a phone. Those are watches and it is much easier to change their designs as compared to phones. And even if they made it possible I don't know how many would really be interested in changing the faceplates of their phone. They are trying something similar with Xpress-On covers on smartphones and it would be nice to see on feature phones too where we can fully change the phone housing ourselves like old devices. But very few will be interested in this.

They should make a Qwerty feature phone like the Nokia Asha 210 which you mentioned. Another was the Nokia Asha 205 which was priced lower than 210. Rumours say they might be introducing 3 new feature phones at their upcoming event and two of those could be the Nokia 110 and Nokia 2720 Fold. I feel both will be 4G handsets where 2720 will be a premium feature phone and Nokia 110 could turn out to be the younger brother of Nokia 220 4G.

madbilly

Of course it's possible to make a feature phone with ceramic or leather casing, I don't even think it would add much to the cost. However, making an overall premium feeling T9 or QWERTY based phone for the price which people are expecting to pay for this form factor will be very difficult. Generally people expect smartphones (touchscreen phones) to cost more and T9/QWERTY non-touchscreen phones to cost less, and unfortunately I don't think there are many people willing to part smartphone prices for a feature phone, even if they happily did 10 years ago.

Still, I agree that I would like to see this available, even if I personally probably wouldn't buy it. Let's hope we see something like this at IFA in Berlin!

Cheers

Kartik Gada

madbilly said:

Of course it's possible to make a feature phone with ceramic or leather casing, I don't even think it would add much to the cost. However, making an overall premium feeling T9 or QWERTY based phone for the price which people are expecting to pay for this form factor will be very difficult. Generally people expect smartphones (touchscreen phones) to cost more and T9/QWERTY non-touchscreen phones to cost less, and unfortunately I don't think there are many people willing to part smartphone prices for a feature phone, even if they happily did 10 years ago.

Still, I agree that I would like to see this available, even if I personally probably wouldn't buy it. Let's hope we see something like this at IFA in Berlin!

Cheers

This is what I mean by "it will increase the cost". Making a feature phone from ceramic will need more cutting, drilling and polishing than for say making the flat back of a smartphone. This will shoot the price above the current price of the Nokia 8110 4G.

What they can do is use aluminium battery covers like on Nokia X2-00. Even I or most Nokia Fans wouldn't like to pay a hefty amount for a feature phone when a smartphone can be bought for less than the price of that feature phone. Now if the feature phone really brings something usable on the software part it would be a completely different thing but still, I feel anything above 4000 INR (56USD) is too much for a feature phone in 2019.

luckyjim17

The premium idea would be exclusive that’s the point. Remember vertu or Nokia 501. They were short run exclusives where some bought them to be different. Most people would buy the other ranges. Your statement on most Nokia fans wouldn’t pay more than 56 USD for a feature phone seems a little odd as in the UK the 3310 3G is around that price and been out for ages. The 8110 4G originally came out at £80 in the UK and people bought it. People can get an array of smartphones for under £50 but just want simplicity, battery life and a phone that doesn’t need replacing every 2 years due to software OS upgrade bloat. There are other feature phone manufacturers like Doro, Alba, Bush who have feature phones in this price bracket. Doro phones are £70+ for flip phones which still sell. 

Most people avoid ultra cheaper due to rubbish experiences.

luckyjim17

The other thing about ceramics is that they can be set in a mould (like plastics), no need to mill out with a cnc machine like metal. You could mould a ceramic body, have translucent rubber or plastic keys that light up or glow (Nokia did have light up keypads in the past). Ceramics have a glaze during the firing process (not polishing). A hard ceramic is used in tanks as armour these days so ceramics could be a viable alternative ( no need for it to be tank proof though)

Kartik Gada

luckyjim17 said:

The other thing about ceramics is that they can be set in a mould (like plastics), no need to mill out with a cnc machine like metal. You could mould a ceramic body, have translucent rubber or plastic keys that light up or glow (Nokia did have light up keypads in the past). Ceramics have a glaze during the firing process (not polishing). A hard ceramic is used in tanks as armour these days so ceramics could be a viable alternative ( no need for it to be tank proof though)

Oh i didn't know about that. 🙂
Of it can by moulded like plastic then it could be made faster. But what about the cost of the material itself?

Kartik Gada

luckyjim17 said:

The premium idea would be exclusive that’s the point. Remember vertu or Nokia 501. They were short run exclusives where some bought them to be different. Most people would buy the other ranges. Your statement on most Nokia fans wouldn’t pay more than 56 USD for a feature phone seems a little odd as in the UK the 3310 3G is around that price and been out for ages. The 8110 4G originally came out at £80 in the UK and people bought it. People can get an array of smartphones for under £50 but just want simplicity, battery life and a phone that doesn’t need replacing every 2 years due to software OS upgrade bloat. There are other feature phone manufacturers like Doro, Alba, Bush who have feature phones in this price bracket. Doro phones are £70+ for flip phones which still sell. 

Most people avoid ultra cheaper due to rubbish experiences.

But 3310 and 8110 are remakes of classics. Most just bought those devices just to recall past memories they had with the originals. Now the pricing i mentioned was in INR. Nokia 3310 sells for 3200INR in India so not a premium feature phone. 8110 sells for 5K INR and fir that price it just feels and okayish product to me. I don't see lots of Nokia of Nokia 8110 4G"s around. Have seen many 3310's though.

Nokia 501 was a good feature phone but wasn't a premium one. Nokia 515 was a premium feature phone made out of aluminium and also was the last true Nokia feature phone before D&S division was sold  that device was launched in India for 10k INR and only a limited few were sold. 😊

luckyjim17

My apologies, I was speaking about the Nokia 515 when talking about a premium phone. See stacks of 3310s around. A few 8110 users not happy mainly about usability rather than price. None of the users talk about nostalgia but want a well built phone with decent features and battery. Most of the 8110 users have stopped using it due to frustrations. Never used either myself but 3310 users seem happier. Nokia 220 4G seems to be getting a poor camera (0.3mp) which really puts me off. I’d rather not have a camera than a bad one. Is the 3310 going to be available as 4G?

Still want a decent phone as mentioned above where software features can be added / removed. Still would like some basic customisation as Moto G3 got some time ago or be allowed to select own case colour, etc from Nokia range without having to buy extra covers. 

Yes ceramic mic would be a bit more expensive as a material than plastic but we were talking about adding that type of option to a premium range phone so the price would reflect the added build cost. Customisation would also be a small extra on medium range phones (not cheaper end).

Kartik Gada

luckyjim17 said:

My apologies, I was speaking about the Nokia 515 when talking about a premium phone. See stacks of 3310s around. A few 8110 users not happy mainly about usability rather than price. None of the users talk about nostalgia but want a well built phone with decent features and battery. Most of the 8110 users have stopped using it due to frustrations. Never used either myself but 3310 users seem happier. Nokia 220 4G seems to be getting a poor camera (0.3mp) which really puts me off. I’d rather not have a camera than a bad one. Is the 3310 going to be available as 4G?

Still want a decent phone as mentioned above where software features can be added / removed. Still would like some basic customisation as Moto G3 got some time ago or be allowed to select own case colour, etc from Nokia range without having to buy extra covers. 

Yes ceramic mic would be a bit more expensive as a material than plastic but we were talking about adding that type of option to a premium range phone so the price would reflect the added build cost. Customisation would also be a small extra on medium range phones (not cheaper end).

3310 4G is available but only in China and runs YunOS.

I too would prefer a feature phone with an app store with basic apps like WhatsApp available for the phone. You can choose one colour from a variety of colours Nokia phones come in. I don't think it is really beneficial to bring an online customisation service for feature phones.

But who would buy a feature phone worth 10k INR or more than 100 pounds or around $175USD? I don't see a market for this. Instead, bring a new smartphone lineup with a different OS like Sailfish. It would be much appreciated by many and also won't be a thing to joke about.

luckyjim17

What about Ovi online store? It was around 10 years ago where you could download to a PC and upload apps to your feature phone. Limited yes but could be used to add / remove the apps you want from the full feature phone range I.e. MP3 player, Nokia suite to edit photos, add / remove other features capable of running on feature phones such as shopping list / to do list, calendar, calculator, simple games, etc.

seems strange that Nokia will allow you to demo before buying game loft games but you can’t add feature phone style apps available across the feature phone range or add tunes or wallpapers.

Why would this need a phone costing big bucks? You could do this with 3310 or 220 4g if the OS allowed. Add a few colour options to buy online (choice of keypad colours / front / back case colours from current parts).

why would this be so expensive?

luckyjim17

Add the option online to choose the form factor of your choice ( flip phone 2720 4G, messenger Asha 210 4G, candy bar Nokia 220 4g). All would have the same hardware components inside. 

So you would go to the online store and either choose the stock phone of your choice or click custom. Select your form factor, next option choose colour options ( case front and back, keypad), then click from a list of added software features ( basics would automatically be on the phone- contacts, sms etc.). Then see your creation. Click add to basket and pay a bit extra for the customisation (£5 - £10). Delivery to your door. What’s not to like? No mega costs as options are already in production from default models.

Kartik Gada

luckyjim17 said:

What about Ovi online store? It was around 10 years ago where you could download to a PC and upload apps to your feature phone. Limited yes but could be used to add / remove the apps you want from the full feature phone range I.e. MP3 player, Nokia suite to edit photos, add / remove other features capable of running on feature phones such as shopping list / to do list, calendar, calculator, simple games, etc.

seems strange that Nokia will allow you to demo before buying game loft games but you can’t add feature phone style apps available across the feature phone range or add tunes or wallpapers.

Why would this need a phone costing big bucks? You could do this with 3310 or 220 4g if the OS allowed. Add a few colour options to buy online (choice of keypad colours / front / back case colours from current parts).

why would this be so expensive?

Yup, we need something like Ovi Store on feature phones. I still have the Nokia Suite on my PC. It would be great if these two could make a comeback

It would be expensive because it is being customised as per your liking. Phones are made in factories on a dedicated assembly line which just makes that phone. And to customize keypads and faceplates of phone they need to do it separately which is time-consuming. So HMD will increase the price. Nokia 515 was sold for 115 Euros back in 2013.

luckyjim17

The customisation would be extra to take into consideration of the online orders. Charging an extra £10 would more than cover the labour cost. Also these would be done in batches like other assembly points in factories. If you already have a red phone in a candy bar format the only difference is choosing the keypad colour. The custom phone would have some sort of tag on it to be identified. Most production lines are automated so the parts could be pre selected from parts bins. Not rocket science or costly if done right. Cars, watches, lots of  other product lines already do this.

Already mentioned Motorola did this customisation for the Moto G3 and another model some time ago before Lenovo took over. They charged £10 for the privilege. I still have my G3 somewhere. If that’s too difficult for Nokia why not do a Lego style pick and mix at stores and roadshows where the customer buys a phone and goes round to pick and assemble their own phone. Bit like build-a-bear. No labour costs there just need the components. If that’s still too difficult do an Airfix kit style phone where you select the bits which is sent to you and you assemble the case and keypad yourself (use a rubber style one piece keypad as of old Nokia’s). Then download the extra features you want from ovi. Bit like a Raspberry Pi kit. Surely Nokia could sort out something as they are able to supply xpression covers to customers this is taking it one step more. All hardware atmain structure is the same so no issues with parts working or not and click on covers were available from Nokia decades ago. Surely the advances in Nokia factories today are more like Amazon supply chains. You can order almost anything you like from the Chinese factories from Alibaba but just have to wait 3 weeks so why can’t Nokia put customer orders to similar factories around their own supply chains?

madbilly

Loads of great ideas here!

I did suggest that HMD could do the Moto-style customisation a while ago. I still think it would be great and probably quite popular. It was about 10 pounds as you say @luckyjim17 and for that you could choose the colour of the rear cover, have a custom message written on it and have a custom message added to the boot screen. I think this was great.

Cheers