Here s the new Nokia 105. Do we still need regular phones in 2019?

When an e-mail about the premiere of the new Nokia 105 came to me, in the first instinct I thought "which year we have?". And yet for such archaic devices there is still room in the world, even in 2019.

The press release reads:

Save up to 2,000 contacts and 500 text messages in your device's memory, which gives you access to key information and numbers wherever you are.

In addition, the built-in FM radio will give you access to your favorite music, and a strong LED flashlight will always light your way - just press the button twice.

To provide hours of entertainment, the new Nokia 105 offers a package of six games from Gameloft, such as: Tetris, Sky Gift, Airstrike, Nitro Racing, Ninja UP! and Danger Dash.

Younger readers probably blink with their eyes in amazement, but for anyone who is more than 20 years old, such descriptions were once the standard of the world of telephones. No Facebook or Twitter, no Google Photos (camera not included), no cloud, unlimited contacts and message synchronization.

Only a tiny screen for today's standards (in the case of Nokia 105 it has 1.77 "), a physical keyboard and a battery sufficient for many days of use. If we found the right equipment, maybe it could even listen to music or play the iconic Snake, but for the more sophisticated entertainment it was not worth counting.

Against the background of modern smartphones, the Nokia 105 fully deserves its English-language name "stupid telephone".

Dumbphone , because in English it is said that telephones that are not smartphones are nothing but a literally "stupid telephone". No access to the Internet, Wikipedia, Google Assistant - dumbphone is almost only a communication tool.

Looking at how little Nokia 105 offers to the most basic smartphone, it is easy to come to the conclusion that such equipment is completely unnecessary today.

In the meantime, it may turn out that we should not only cross off phones like Nokia 105, which should be prepared for their renaissance.

We want a break from smartphones.

After a decade of rapid, uncontrolled development of mobile devices, social media and any associated distractions, we can safely say that we have enough of civilization. We have become addicted to the luminous screens we carry in our pockets, and even if scrolling has not become a new cigarette smoking, there is no lack of signals that each of us wants to relax from the smartphone sometimes.

Technological giants introduce built-in time counters in front of the screen. Application blocking applications appear like mushrooms after rain. The "smartphone addiction" password on YouTube features thousands of clips that touch the problem.

A simple, simple phone, like the Nokia 105, fits perfectly in this scenario. It allows what is most important - stay in touch with loved ones - without any excess baggage. No notifications and fake news, no boss sending emails on Saturday evening, without deporting Instagram. And all this is ridiculous, 79 zlotys.

And how to take seriously the concepts of Light Phone or Kingrow K1, costing a dozen times more and offering almost exactly the same (and sometimes less) what a traditional phone?

Who was the usual phone call in 2019?

As "a rest from a smartphone" is a very loose concept, let me cite a few very real scenarios through which traditional telephones are still available on the market.

They are especially useful for the elderly, for whom smartphones are still a black-magic grimarium enchanted in the form of a glass and aluminum box. And even those seniors who appreciate the development of technology and keep up with it are sometimes just easier to use a handy phone with physical buttons.

Traditional telephones are also useful for children. At the same time, they allow you to keep in touch with your child and to put as much time as possible in the moment when we give her soul to the devil Google, Facebook and the rest. In addition, at a price of just PLN 79, it will not be a shame if the child accidentally devastates the device. If it was even the cheapest smartphone, such a "case" would be much more painful in the pocket.

Have you watched the third season of the Paper House? If you have reached at least the fourth episode, then you know that traditional telephones are an ideal choice for people who exaggerate who value their privacy. No cookies, eavesdropping microphones , selling personal data , targeted ads, nothing - Nokia 105 is a phone that does not exist for technology giants. Archaico, the professor would say.

Such an archaic phone is also good to simply store and use as needed. You can, for example, postpone the card for the weekend, to at least for a moment escape from the digital world and the glowing screen. You can take him to a party instead of a smartphone for a few thousand zlotys and spend a nice evening without worrying about damage or theft of a precious device. Potential scenarios for the use of the "stupid telephone" can be multiplied and multiplied, and I will bet that everyone would find at least one good reason why such a creation could be useful even in 2019.

Archaic telephones could use a small refreshment.

Looking at the popularity of kickstarter attempts to create a phone "without distractions", I also expect the popularity of traditional phones to return.

However, in many places their archaism is something good and desirable, so in 2019 it would be useful for them to have at least one new function - call forwarding.

Let's agree, except for examples with seniors and children, no one today will buy such Nokia 105 with the intention of using it as the only phone. Rather, it will be an addition to the smartphone, which we will use if necessary. And if so, would not it be more convenient to be able to use the same number both on one and on the other device? Instead of each time translating the SIM card, which can be troublesome, we could use one number for both the "wise" and "stupid" phone, eliminating another barrier by which many people do not take into account such a solution at all.

And it's worth considering. After a decade of infiltration into the digital world, convenience and a kind of omnipotence of smartphones, a few minutes with a phone call for PLN 79 may be a nice breeze of freshness. Even in 2019.

Here's the new Nokia 105. Do we still need regular phones in 2019?