Microsoft Hasn't Given Up On the Non-Smart Phones It Inherited From Nokia

jfruh writes: Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's handset business was mostly focused on gaining a hardware line that ran the company's Windows Phone OS; but in the process, Microsoft also gained ownership of some model lines that are classified as "feature phones" and some that are straight up dumb, and they're still coming out with new models, confusingly still bearing the "Nokia" brand. The $20 Nokia 105 as billed as "long-lasting backup device" and comes with an FM radio, while the $30 Nokia 215 is "Internet-ready" and comes with Facebook and Twitter apps.

Comments

Cheap Nokia have great reputation

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

These dumb phones have very good reputation in third world countries. I use a cheap 15$ Nokia in India. It supports texting in local languages, Indian astrological calenders, etc. Incredibly some of these cheap phones are meant for families, not individuals. They would support multiple "user profiles" with independent call logs and contact lists. And the battery! Lasts for ever.

It would actually make sense to use a smart phone as a digital assistant and carry these cheap phones for voice and text. Many of us still wear watches right? Same way, the smart phones are actually personal computers, it is better to have an independent device with its own long lasting battery for voice and text.

Re:Cheap Nokia have great reputation

[gnasher719]

Nokia dumb phones also have a good reputation in the first and the second world countries. They are good for older people or for those who prefer simplicity and battery life.

They are good for people who want a phone to make phone calls and nothing else. They are also good for people who want to have an emergency phone in the car, for example, with a battery that lasts forever. Mine used to last more than half a year while not used. The carriers hated PAYG customers without a monthly contract. But for £20 + £10 one time payment for some minutes, you are always in contact with the world if everything else goes wrong.

Re: Cheap Nokia have great reputation

[jae471]

80s landline quality is a vast improvement over every cell phone I've talked on in the past 20 years.

Re: Cheap Nokia have great reputation

[ArmoredDragon]

Try amr wideband then, also called HD Voice. I've had it happen one time where a person had the phone on speaker, and I could hear somebody whispering to them from across the room.

Both devices must support the feature though, and so must your carrier. T-Mobile has supported it for about 3 years now, not sure about Sprint, but Verizon and AT&T have picked it up recently I'm pretty sure.

Long battery life plus ease of use

[Registered Coward v2]

are some advantages. If all someone wants is the ability to make calls dumb phones are a great choice. Many of my friends have them for elderly parents so the always have a phone handy. Using a smart phone touch screen can be overwhelming as the have to unlock it, touch the phone app, then dial using a non tactile screen. OTOH a dumb phone keys mimic the landline they have been using so it's simply a matter of making sure they know how to charge the phone and use green button to dial and red to hangup.

hit submit too early

[Registered Coward v2]

They also tend to be more durable than a smartphone. You can carry it in a pocket or drop it with much less chance of damaging it. If you lose it you're out $20 rather than several hundred. I know contracters that use them for that reason as well as give them to employees for use on site for similar reasons.

What actually happened

[robi5]

Right after the acquisition, they decided to lay off the team responsible for the 'non-smart' phones so that all development funds can be channeled into the 'non-dumb' phones.

However, due to a glitch at accounting, they forgot to hand out slips or cancel payroll. The team members were already prohibited from mingling with the rest of the crew, lest some smartish feature creeps into the product ideation. So they lived their corporate lives unknowingly and developed the goodies and then it was too late.

Re:What actually happened

[ebh]

They made everybody move to the basement, and took away their red staplers.

Re:Why are "feature phones" still a thing?

[CastrTroy]

No kidding. I recently replaced my old Android 2.3 phone. Part of the reason I replaced it was because it wouldn't make it past 2:00 PM most days if I didn't charge it. After getting my new phone I did a factory reset on the old one. I charged it up, unplugged it, and left it on the night table. Came back 2 days later to be pleasantly surprised that it still had over 50% battery life. Because it didn't have anything to do, the battery lasted quite long. Then I decided I wanted to use it for a few simple games. I registered the device with my Google account and installed Minecraft. And that is all I installed. Now it only lasts about 12 hours for a charge. Somehow, simply having the thing connected to my Google account means that the battery life goes down from 3+ days to 12 hours. The device is pretty much completely useless as a "smart phone" but acting as dumb phone it works pretty well. I assume If I only loaded programs on it that didn't run in the background so much, that battery life would be fine, and I'd still be able to use it as a feature phone. I'll have to disconnect my Google account to see if that clears it up. Hopefully the installed programs will still work after I've disconnected my account.

Re:Great backup phones.

[luvirini]

In some other countries there are cheap plans.

In Finland I pay 69 cents/month for my basic phone plan that does not include anything. Any time I call or text It costs me 6.9 cents/minute or text message.
(Incoming texts/calls are free as in our system the caller pays more to call to mobiles from landlines).

Such a plan is great for a backup phone.