ESPOO, Finland – Our recent run on spotlighting our favourite Nokias here on Conversations has gathered a bit of pace. So much so, that we’ve decided to go beyond our own little corner of Nokia House and get other folks in on the act. Over the coming weeks we’ll have columns from people both within Nokia (but outside of Conversations) and folks outside Nokia.

To kick things off, we went to a man who really needs no introduction. As the guy who’s watched Nokia Beta Labs grow and grow over the last couple of years, Tommi Vilkamo is well known to those in the Nokia community. Now we’re chuffed to introduce him on Conversations, along with his pick of his three favourite Nokias, ever.

Nokia 3310. Oh boy, has it been already a decade from this? I loved it. It was sleek, enjoyable to use, and impossible to break (sidenote: I’m infamous in Nokia for mistreating expensive gear). Unluckily, it was stolen from my backpack pocket during a flight from Phnom Penh to Kuala Lumpur in late 2001. Bought another one. Lost it in a cab a week later. Bought yet another one with my last pennies. Never regretted.

Nokia N95. Ever since joining Nokia in 2002, I had seen bold visions about the future. This time, I felt this future finally becoming into reality. As I wrote in February 2007.

Of course, N95 has all kinds of new functionality that makes gadget-freaks drool, but I think that’s not the point. More  importantly, N95 is everything that advertisers have promised us during the last decade. Sure, Nokia 7110 gave us Internet access in 1999, Nokia 5510 gave us  music and entertainment in 2001, and Nokia 7650 gave us cameras in 2001. But  now, finally, it’s really here, and it’s really good.
Amen.

Finally, the Nokia N900. I’ve seen the light. All in.