Is Nokia regaining its swagger?
Posted by: Stephen Baker on May 4, 2005
When I moved to Europe in 1998, Nokia was the hottest big company around, and its phones were cool. One I especially liked had the look and feel of a Zippo lighter. Its chief designer, Frank Nuovo, even got a big writeup in The New Yorker. But by the time I returned from Europe a couple years ago, Nokia seemed to have lost its edge—not to mention a huge hunk of its market value.
When Nuovo came by our offices a few weeks ago, I was prepared to be skeptical. But after checking out the new phones, for the first time in years I found myself experiencing… phone lust.
The coolest one was a pricy metalic handset, the 8800, View image that will sell for nearly $900 (if the phone companies don't subsidize it). Believe me, I won't be buying it. But I'll be wanting it--which is a good sign for Nokia. A savvy Swedish blogger, Per Mosseby, agrees. (He also discovered our blogspotting blog, you'll note.)
