Scroll Back In Time
Nothing makes us feel our age more than reminiscing about the phones of yesteryear. While today's phones have technological capabilities we couldn't fathom in 2005, those old phones have something that today's phones lack: style. Let's take a look at some the the most creative and nostalgic phones of the 2000s!
1. T-Mobile Sidekick
If phones could be It Girls, the T-Mobile Sidekick was the It Girl of the 2000s. Celebrities certainly agreed, as the Sidekick was the accessory to be photographed with in 2007. With its jaunty start-up tune and devastatingly cool swivel keyboard, sending a simple "omw" text felt like living in 2059.
2. Nokia E70
Apparently, bikers around the world were demanding a phone with handlebars, because that's exactly what Nokia gave them in 2006, with the release of the E70. The E70 may look like a typical candybar-style phone, but it flipped out to reveal not one, but two keyboards. Nobody was doing it like Nokia.
3. Xperia X1
Combining the ultra-trendy slide keyboard with an early touchscreen (sure, you probably needed to use a stylus, but it's the thought that counts), the Xperia X1 was the best of both worlds. The X1 aspired to be the phone that could do it all, with 9 difference home screen "panels". The default browser for the X1 was opera, which had to feel a cut above the peons still using Internet Explorer.
4. Samsung Juke
Back before we wanted phones to be so big they're difficult to hold, we experimented with making phones like stiletto knives. Not only did the Juke come in three different colors with a special "night" camera, it even came with its own theme song! Yes, Samsung soundtrack this release with none other than "Juke Box Hero" by Foreigner.
CaseyPenk at en.wikipedia on Wikimedia
5. Siemens SL55
Rest in peace Siemens mobile, we didn't know how good we had it with this beauty. This ruby red jewel of a phone was cool and compact. The only thing we didn't love was the clip-on camera, c'mon, 2003 was supposed to be the future!
6. iPhone 1
The beginning of an era; the end of slide, twist, and flip phones as we knew it. The iPhone was a smash success not only because of its' cutting-edge design, but because it appealed to a market not conquered by the business-focused BlackBerry: the general public. This was the phone of the future.
Carl Berkeley from Riverside California on Wikimedia
7. Nokia 7280
The 7280 was a prime example of Nokia prizing form over function—and it worked. The lipstick phone was about as cool (and tiny) as you could get in 2004, making appearances in iconic music videos for J.Lo and the Pussycat Dolls. If you had this phone, please write in and explain how you typed on this thing.
8. Sonim XP3
2000s phones were pretty indestructible, but for a phone that would survive Mt. Vesuvius, there was no better choice than the Sonim XP3. Sonim's brand is all about making rugged, durable phones that can literally withstand the harshest of elements. Many a backpacker and firefighter in the 2000s had this bad boy in their pocket.
Ged Carroll from London mostly, UK on Wikimedia
9. BlackBerry Curve 8300
BlackBerry was a bit of an oddball in the 2000s phone scene. A brand billed towards businessmen who needed to be "on" 24/7—what a radical concept this was in 2007, BlackBerry had an absolute chokehold on the tech sector until Apple demolished it. The mid-range price and built-in instant messenger made this model a sleeper hit among a specific sect of teenage girls.
10. Nokia 3250
Phones in the 2000s were a lot like the Bop It in that they were based around twisting, spinning, and flicking various dials and buttons. The Nokia 3250 was perhaps the best example of this. Twist the keypad 90° to access the camera, or 180° for the music controls.
11. Sharp GX25
A standard 2000s flip phone, but a nostalgic one nonetheless. Flip phones always felt a little bit like using the communicators from Star Trek, even if they didn't resemble them. The only thing we miss about previous sharp models was the rubber antenna's texture.
12. N-Gage
The "taco phone" was an absolute failure when it launched—probably because its' target demographic, 12-year-old-boys, didn't have disposable income. Forget being a phone and music player in one, the N-Gage was a phone and gaming system in one. Unfortunately, the awkward design wasn't enough to lure customers away from Game Boy.
13. LG EnV
The LG enV looked like a regular brick phone, but hid a full QWERTY keyboard behind its horizontal clamshell. The enV came in three sharp colors: silver, green, and tangerine. This is a model that certainly lived up to its name.
14. BlackBerry Pearl
The BlackBerry Pearl attempted to bridge the gap between outdated pagers and chunky candybar-style phones favored by teens. The result was a phone that had the charming affect of making high-powered CFOs look like high school students. We miss the scroll wheel every day.
Enrique Dans from Madrid, Spain on Wikimedia
15. Motorola Razr
The phone of the 2000s, the Motorola Razr was more than a simple mobile device, it was a status symbol. The thinnest, sleekest, shiniest phone imaginable, this phone was the technological equivalent of a crown. If you had it in hot pink, nobody could touch you.
16. Nokia 7600
A design so trendy it was kept top secret, nobody was doing it like the Nokia 7600. The teardrop design may have been awkward to use, requiring both hands, but by god did it look straight out of The Jetsons. You could even transfer songs via Infrared...don't ask us how that worked.
Andrew Currie from Toronto, Canada on Wikimedia
17. Nokia 7610
Nokia improved on the 7600's awkward design with the 7610. The 7610 kept the unique leaf-like design, but expanded the keyboard for easier use. Its camera had a whopping 1 whole megapixel for that crisp 2004 quality.
18. Nokia 3310
The last Nokia on this list is also the one you probably think of when you hear the name Nokia. This unbreakable beast is one of the most successful phones in history. The Nokia 3310 will outlive all of us, all hail.
19. LG Chocolate
With its sleek design, touchscreen buttons, and increased focus on music, the LG Chocolate paved the way for modern smartphones. The Chocolate won design awards before it was even released, and for great reasons, just look at it. Who needed a Zune or MP3 player when you had 50 Cent on speed dial?
20. LG Rumor
One last slide phone for the road, the LG Rumor was among the best. The dual color slide phone came in every color under the sun and could hold up to 500 contacts for sending those mass texts. The camera also came with negative, sepia, and black & white filters.
