Do you remember your first phone?
The thought of mine brings a tear to my eye.
It was a beautiful blue Nokia 3310 and it was borderline indestructible.
Best of all, the handset had the greatest mobile feature of all time: Snake.
It also offered calls and SMS, but I had little use for those extravagances.
I had a pay-as-you-go contract, and money was tight back then.
I also had a home phone and Mum footed the bills.
As for SMS, what was the point of that when you had the joys ofMSN Messengeravailable for free?
Mobile calls and texts were strictly reserved for emergencies like getting attacked in the street.
Unfortunately, when that moment came, the assailants also stole my beloved Nokia 3310.
Those were the days.
US rival Motorola sandwiched the two Scandinavian competitors.
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Europe lost its lead due to slow adoption ofsmartphones, weak software ecosystems, and fierce competition.
American and Asian manufacturers now dominate the industry.
But Europes old mobile guard isnt finished yet.
The continents phone makers are still finding new routes into the market.
One of them stems from the resurgence of dumbphones.
A reminder ofsimpler times, the basic bricks offer a digital detox and an escape from relentless data harvesting.
A range of new versions have recently been launched.
Older ones are also enjoying comebacks including the legendary 3310.
Hackadayrecently spotlighted a technique that revitalises the classic handset: installing a USB-C socket.
The mod is the brainchild of Andrea Salvadori, a developer based in Italy.
Salvadori adds the USB-C port by integrating a small adapter into the phone.
Hes selling the parts onlinefor 25.
My beloved 3310 would have cherished the upgrade, but the old equipment is sadly no longer with me.
Thankfully, a host of modern dumbphones are now available.
Europes dumbphone rally
Many of the new dumbphones are made in Europe.
One thats caught our eye is the plastic-and-fantastic Barbie Phone.
Built by Finlands HMD Global in partnership with Mattel, the handset launched last year.
HMD bills the handset as a tool to take a vacation from your smartphone.
It features a few basic apps and one extremely intriguing game: Malibu Snake.
Digital wellbeing tips and Barbie Meditation are also available on the flip phone.
TNW contributor Sion Geschwindt wasdazzled bythe unit.
Well, his four-year-old daughter was.
I love that pink one, she said.
Adults have also been impressed, but the lurid pink and Barbie branding arent for everyone.
Fortunately, there are numerous other dumbphones on the market.
An impressive number of them are built by European companies.
Europe may have lagged behind in the smartphone era, but the continent is now leading the dumbphone revival.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
