11 Ways The Cell Phone Has Evolved Since The Nokia 3310

The original Nokia Corp (ADR) NOK 3310 was launched in the fourth quarter of 2000 and discontinued in 2005 only to be brought back in 2017.

The 17-year-old Nokia earned a reputation for being nearly unbreakable and remains a popular internet meme.

According to The Guardian, Nokia's new 3310 model "isn't anything special" and is a "dumphone" (as opposed to a smartphone) that wouldn't have received as much attention if it went by any other name.

Nevertheless, the "dumphone" is indeed receiving a lot of attention. Updated models of flagship smartphones merely contain a slightly better camera or screen but at its core not much has changed.

It's safe to say a lot has changed since Nokia's 3310 was first brought into the market back in 2000.

1. GPS navigation

Never get lost again with built in GPS capabilities powered by Google Maps and other mapping apps that are accurate to within a few feet.

2. Apps

Back in 2000, a cell phone was meant for calling, texting and maybe playing Snake. Today it's more of an entertainment device with access to on-demand movies, TV, music and games.

3. Camera

Cameras were essentially non-existent in cell phones 17 years ago, but today's smartphones boast cameras that rival even high-end digital cameras.

4. Internet

Forget about browsing the web back in 2000. Today, the entire internet is at your fingertips.

5. Artificial Intelligence

Needless to say artificial intelligence and digital assistant capabilities didn't exist in 2000. Although still in its very early stages, platforms like Apple Inc. AAPL's Siri are becoming more important to smartphone users.

6. E-Mail

BlackBerry Ltd BBRY popularized the smartphone as a device to check e-mail.

7. Color Screen

It didn't take long since Nokia's 3310 launch for a phone to be released with a color screen in the U.S. market. That honor goes to the Sanyo SCP-5000 for its 2-inch size screen that could display up to 256 colors.

8. Billion Devices

It wasn't until the third quarter of 2012 that more than one billion smartphones were used across the world.

9. Billions of devices

In 2016 alone, annual global shipments of smartphones hit 1.49 billion units.

10. Trillion dollar company

Apple's dominance in the smartphone market will play a huge role in pushing the company's valuation over the $1 trillion mark.

11. Time Spent

On average, people will spend nearly 74 hours a month on their smartphone but among the 18 to 24 age group that figure could be as high as 93.5 hours. Data on usage back in 2000 likely doesn't exist but it's safe to assume usage aside from phone calls and texting was much, much lower.

Image: whatleydude, Flickr