ESPOO, Finland – It was 1997 when I bought my very first mobile phone, a Nokia 2110. I had to rationalize why I needed a mobile phone and how it would benefit me. Back then, most of my family members and friends didn’t have mobiles so, being a pragmatic person, my reasoning was very practical. When I’d go to the grocery store and wasn’t sure if we had enough baking power in the house, I’d call home and ask someone to check. Or even better, when I was still at the grocery store, someone in the house would be able to call or send a text message asking me to buy more cereal.
Although I was very pleased with my Nokia 2110 and had it for quite a while, my first Nokia phone I really fell in love with was the Nokia 8210. It was 2000, the year I joined Nokia and the 8210 was the smallest and lightest Nokia on the market. This was the phone which always caught people’s attention when I pulled it from my handbag. I just loved the size and the colors of the phone. I was working in various enhancement teams and one day someone handed me a bunch of removable Xpress-covers for the Nokia 8210. I was so entranced by them I used a different color each day (my favorites were brown and green).
My second Nokia favourite phone is the Nokia 7610 – launched it 2004 it was Nokia’s first megapixel phone. It was the phone which got me interested in photography and opened me to the new imaging era – I wanted to take photos of everything as my previous photography was limited to special occasions and holidays. With the 7610 and one megapixel camera I discovered the possibility to capture photos on everyday occasions, like when walking in the forest with my dogs. I was amazed at the quality of the photos and the possibility of having a camera always with me. I was also an addictive user of Nokia Lifeblog. Photography is still one of my passions though I don’t take it too seriously (I have more of a random approach to taking photos). The ones I don’t like get deleted right away but the majority of the photos become wonderful memories.
The Nokia N95 is my third favorite and the first device where I had the internet in my pocket. Over weekends in remote locations it was nice to find the answers right away. It was nice to have the local bus and train schedules without carrying a timetable in my bag. But the 5-megapixel camera and good quality video were still my primary reasons to have this device.
Why didn’t I choose the Nokia N97? Simply, because that’s my primarily phone at the moment. I felt choosing the best Nokia ever needed to have a bit more retrospective. But after spending time with a touch screen device, I have trouble remembering that not all devices and other gadgets are touch screen! After using a touch screen phone there is no turning back.