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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Alice Fisher, Lifestyle editor

Lord of the ringtones: Nokia celebrates pop-culture status by opening design archive

The Nokia 5110 from 1998 came in different colours.
The Nokia 5110 from 1998 came in a range of colours. Photograph: Nokia Design Archive/Aalto University 2024

“Everyone remembers their first Nokia,” says Mark Mason, who joined the telecoms company’s design team back in its 1990s heyday. “When you say the name, it evokes a memory.”

This is not as hyperbolic as it sounds – in 1998, the Finnish consumer electronics company was the bestselling phone brand in the world, with 40% of the world market and 70% of the UK market.

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