The Nokia 3210 was a highly popular cellular phone

Mobile phone

A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...

, released in 1999. With 160 million units sold, the 3210 was one of the most popular and successful phones in history.

Design

The Nokia 3210 has a total weight of 153g. The handset measures 123.8mm x 50.5mm x 16.7mm (min), 22.5mm (max) and features customizable fascias which clip on.

Notable features

• Three games came preinstalled: Snake
  Snake (video game)
  Snake is a video game that originated during the late 1970s in arcades and has maintained popularity since then, becoming something of a classic...
  
  , Memory (pairs-memory game), and Rotation. The addition of such games encouraged high sales within a youth market which was enlarging at a very fast rate. Some versions of the 3210 included the "hidden" games React and Logic. They were activated by special software using a data cable.
• The 3210 was one of the first mobile phones to feature an internal antenna. This distinguished the handset from others which featured large, awkward and unsightly antenna. Reception, although poorer than that of its predecessor, the 3110
  Nokia 3110
  The 3110 was a GSM mobile phone handset manufactured by Nokia in Hungary and released for sale in 1997. The 3110 is notable as the first Nokia handset to feature the 'Navi-Key' menu navigation system. The Navi-Key was featured heavily on Nokia handsets, especially the entry-level models such as...
  
  , was still very good.
• 'Picture messages' sent via the SMS texting service were implemented in the handset, allowing users to send preinstalled pictures to one another. These included a 'Happy Birthday' picture amongst others.
• The handset was competitively priced and aimed specifically at teenagers and young professionals. This was at a time when few young people had access to a mobile phone, being generally identified with older professionals and business people.
• The 3210 was originally designed with a vibrate alert function. Nokia decided not to implement this feature on some handsets within certain jurisdictions. A few months after its UK release, some mobile phone repair shops offered customers a handset upgrade to the vibrate function for a small fee.

Handset specifications

• Standby Time (hrs): 55-260
• Talk Time (mins): 180-270
• Charge Time (hrs): 4
• Ringtone Composer
• Dual Band: Yes
• Vibrating Alert (optional)
• Speed Dialing
• 3 Games
• Internal Antenna
• Green back light
• Interchangeable Fascias
  Fascia (phone)
  A fascia is the name given to the removable housing of a mobile telephone. It is most often used to refer to a new housing bought as a fashion accessory to improve the appearance of a mobile phone....
  
  

Success

A combination of cutting-edge features such as internal antennas and T9

T9 (predictive text)

T9, which stands for Text on 9 keys, is a patented predictive text technology for mobile phones, originally developed by Tegic Communications, now part of Nuance Communications....

 ensured the 3210 huge commercial success. The 3210 can also attribute much of its success to an advertising campaign aimed predominantly at young people, a first in the mobile phone industry. The inclusion of 3 games, changeable covers

Fascia (phone)

A fascia is the name given to the removable housing of a mobile telephone. It is most often used to refer to a new housing bought as a fashion accessory to improve the appearance of a mobile phone....

, an internal antenna, customisable ringtones and competitive prices led to the handset's huge popularity with those aged 15–25. It was also thinner than previous Nokia models.