What Android can learn from Nokia's comeback

A little brand nostalgia goes a long way

Nokia phones.
(Image credit: EMMI KORHONEN/AFP/Getty Images)

It's a common trope that digital technology is cold and lifeless. But ask anyone who has ever played a Nintendo game, or fondly recalled their first portable CD player or old cathode ray tube TV, and they will attest to the genuine emotional connection we form with our gadgets. Nostalgia is a powerful force in the digital world.

This phenomenon is more than mere sentiment, however; it's also the source of some serious money. Case in point: This week it was revealed that Nokia, the once defunct phone maker, sold 4.4 million smartphones last quarter. Even more surprising was that this was significantly higher than the phone sales posted by other companies, including Google.

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Navneet Alang

Navneet Alang is a technology and culture writer based out of Toronto. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, New Republic, Globe and Mail, and Hazlitt.