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Topic: Nokia

Nokia and the new handset naming scheme may just be shining us on

Summary: Yesterday Nokia detailed its new process for naming new handsets, and it makes me wonder if the company is just having some fun at our expense.

James Kendrick

By for Mobile News |

Nokia missed the smartphone revolution by ignoring the U. S. market (among other things), and is a company that is floundering to figure out how to get back in the game. Getting onto the Windows Phone 7 train with Microsoft is a big bet that Nokia is hoping will push it back up the market share charts. No matter how you view this partnership, it is clear Nokia needs to up its game to attract the savvy smartphone customer of today. Yesterday Nokia detailed its new process for naming new handsets, and it makes me wonder if the company is just having some fun at our expense.

SplatF points to a blog post by Nokia's Phil Schwarzmann where he announces that Nokia  will follow a simple process for naming all its handsets starting with the Nokia 500. All Nokia phones going forward will have a simple 3-digit product name where the first digit indicates how expensive the phone will be. So a Nokia 900 will be top-of-the-line and the 100 will be pretty cheap in price and functions. This new method according to Schwarzmann allows Nokia to release a lot of handsets without confusion, Nokia 100, 101, 102, well you get the picture.

While this whole system smacks of poor marketing and bad business practice, I can't help wondering if this claim by Nokia is just the company having some fun at our expense. Besides being a horribly bad idea, the last link in Schwarzmann's blog post may be an indication he's just shining us on. It's a Rickroll so don't click it, you have been warned.

Topic: Nokia

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  • RE: Nokia and the new handset naming scheme may just be shining us on

    People are usually excited to show off an exciting phone with an exciting name. "Check out my new THUNDERBOLT! This thing is sick! Wow, you got the new PHOTON, that is one sexy phone. Have you seen the new WILDFIRE S yet?" Etc...

    These sometimes silly yet eye catching names I think are what sells some of these phones. While the THUNDERBOLT is just an infamous sounding name, it won't easily be forgotten, but on the other hand, I think said "Nokia 500" will fade away and end up in the bargain bin. The performance and style might be there, but without that fancy name to catch the attention of the masses, I think it is setting itself up for failure.

    I could be wrong, this is just my opinion, but the right name sells EVERYTHING. Phones, movies, cars, video games...
    Bates_
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Nokia and the new handset naming scheme may just be shining us on

      Whilst I agree with you that names can help sell phones (after all, "iphone" does have that snappy name), let's not forget that what Nokia are doing effectively apes BMW with their 1,3,5 and 7 series numbers. Everyone knows a 1-series car is cheap and small and the 7-series is big and expensive. So what Nokia are looking for is for people toting a 9-series Nokia shouting it from the rooftops and those with a 1-series keeping it in their pocket as much as possible. People won't say "I have a Nokia 937" they'll say "This is a 9-series, flash as f**k eh?"
      jcoleman@...
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Nokia and the new handset naming scheme may just be shining us on

        @jcoleman@... <br><br>Not that I would mind a BMW 1 over a Ford <img border="0" src="http://www.cnet.com/i/mb/emoticons/wink.gif" alt="wink"> Maybe a short, recognizable naming scheme with the Nokia name could become a two-stage rooftop experience: stage 1 - it's a Nokia (many customers), stage 2 - it's a 9series (filthy rich, or very desperate customers)...
        WebSiteManager
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Nokia and the new handset naming scheme may just be shining us on

    For a company like Nokia which produces so many models, I think the new numbering system is the best way to move forward
    owlnet
    Reply Vote

    • Agreed

      @owlnet +1
      Nihon8888
      Reply Vote

  • Could be a Good Idea

    I actually wouldn't mind a little clarity on the matter. Maybe they could have the numbers available somewhere (back of the phone), but give it a "Marketing name" on top of things. That way, when I'm in the store, I know what I'm looking at when comparing, but they have a cool name to sell their phone, too. Of course, what justifies something being a 3xx phone vs a 4xx phone is anybody's guess. Mazda's 3series, 6series, 9series makes a lot of sense. Does Sentra, Altima, Maxima really tell you anything worth knowing? Similarly, Canon's DSLR naming (1, 5, 7, 10-60, 300-550) is quite helpful, while "Rebel," "Rebel XT," "Rebel T3i" just muddies things.
    WebSiteManager
    Reply Vote

  • Please explain your rational

    You state "poor marketing and bad business practice" but don't back this up with any rational or analysis.
    Given the number of models in the number of different markets across the broad spectrum of carriers (and potential operating systems) a clear number based convention with a focus on the Nokia brand makes sense.
    Nihon8888
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Nokia and the new handset naming scheme may just be shining us on

    Nokia 3310 FTW!<br>Numbers are easy to remember.
    luisc13
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Nokia and the new handset naming scheme may just be shining us on

    Good phones with an OS and applications that do what people want will sell themselves. An Phone/OS/etc... that doesn't innovate and allow users to do what they want, will not see regardless of what you call it.
    jkohut
    Reply Vote

  • This is a terrible article

    Sorry James, but you're expressing your opinion with nothing to back it up. My first cell phone was a Nokia 5110. I remember the number quite easily, so I think it's not a bad idea at all. I don't remember the name of the phone I got after that - it was a Motorola C-something.

    I can't wait to get my Nokia 666!
    General C#
    Reply Vote
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