![]() ![]() Maps, too, syncs with your Google account, so all your favorite spots are highlighted as they should be. You can see traffic info and satellite imagery get directions for driving, cycling, walking or a public transport route search for nearby restaurants or shops read reviews and check opening times, etc. Maps is a little slower to use with scroll keys and a 2.45-inch display, but it's the full package. But the highlights are, for sure, Maps and the Assistant. Beyond the ability to easily import your contacts and link your calendar, you get YouTube, which is basically a web app shortcut that loads in the browser, and a Google app, which opens the browser with the search bar front and center. The big difference between the 8110 and previous Nokia feature phones, though, and the reason it encroaches on smartphone territory, is that several Google services come baked-in - Google has been working relatively closely with KaiOS after investing $22 million in the platform a few months ago. You get GPS, WiFi and 4G, too, the latter being particularly useful because you can turn the phone into a mobile hotspot and let other devices ride that connection. I couldn't get my Mac to recognize the 8110 as an external USB storage device, but pairing via Bluetooth and transferring mp3s that way worked without issue. Other basic apps include a browser, voice-note recorder, calculator, music player, FM radio and Gameloft's bastardization of Snake, alongside several pre-installed demos of other games from the developer. ![]() Syncing my calendar was a tad convoluted as I had to jump on my laptop and flip a switch to allow "less secure apps" to access my data, but all in all, I spent about ten minutes total linking all the essential services. It's a basic client - it doesn't know what to do with PDF attachments, for instance - but it works all the same. It was extra speedy since I'd already connected my Gmail through the phone's email client five minutes earlier. It was such a nightmare trying to get my cloud contacts on the 3310 that I gave up, and yet it took me all of 30 seconds on the 8110. ![]() Sometimes it's the little things that are the biggest conveniences, like being able to import your contact list from a Google or Outlook account. These give it legitimate potential as a backup phone but will be significantly more important to people in countries where feature phones are still the way many stay connected. I can, though, understand why someone might want to keep an emergency phone with long battery life in their glove box, and the new 8110 offers a few useful features that go beyond basic calling/texting functionality. It's a phrase usually uttered by tech journalists who would never attempt such a thing, and if you genuinely want a break from the daily onslaught of notifications and social feeds, you can do that without buying a more limited device. The concept of the digital detox has always seemed disingenuous to me. I disagree with the notion you can pick up a bare-bones Nokia to disconnect from the chaos of connective life. Though it may look basically the same as the software on other Nokia feature phones, behind that familiar skin is a much more capable backbone. In this instance, it's KaiOS that's responsible for what's happening behind the scenes. HMD can't really take the credit, however. The company already pushed our nostalgia buttons to the point of numbness with the 3110, but the new 8110 serves as sort of a feature-phone benchmark. These aren't outlandish for a feature phone, though, and well. There are a few modern amenities too: A 2-megapixel camera with flash, a color display, four gigs of internal storage and a microSD slot. You also get a removable battery that HMD says will last several days without crying for an outlet, or up to 25 days in standby. It's on the larger end of the feature-phone spectrum, with a robust build quality that'll always be associated with the Nokia brand. It also retains the curved body of the original 8110, which earned it the nickname "banana phone." Not to miss a trick, HMD has nodded to this old handle by releasing the new version in a garish bright yellow, as well as the more reserved matte-black option. It's still a thick candy bar with a sliding cover that's used to answer and hang up calls - alas, however, it's not spring-loaded like the special model featured prominently in the first Matrix movie. The 8110 came to market in 1996, complete with chunky body, small monochrome screen and protruding aerial. The same is true of the Nokia 8110 4G, but that's a good thing. It was more a modern reimagining of the turn-of-the-century icon than a true relaunch. People didn't really seem to care much when it was announced, but the relaunched Nokia 3310 only bore a passing resemblance to the original. ![]()
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