With a NOKIA 8310 enabled with GPRS I thought the world could be different place

2002 March -

A hot afternoon and I was returning back after tuition. While sitting in the bus and chatting off with friends, I happened to notice one of the most 'in' items to have - A mobile, as a high school student. The first look on the mobile and I was enchanted as thought it was a treasure chest of gold.

The 8310, like all handsets of the 8000 series, incorporated remarkably high specification compared to competing handsets at the time. Retailing at over 1100 AED / £400 at launch, the 8310 was a truly premium handset. The inclusion of an FM Radio became a highly desirable feature, ensuring mainstream success especially among commuters and students. The first go through the mobile and I had fallen for it.

"GPRS ! What the hell was that!" I exclaimed. A friend of mine who new a little about mobile phones then told me with GPRS (or General Packet Radio Service) I could surf the internet on the go with it. Wow ! Being an avid Internet user I was excited to know how to get to use it. My mind started racing - Can I search for content, Can I chat with my friends, Can I access my email on the go? My friend told me it was too expensive to consider getting it linked up and her dad would kill her if she played around with it too much.

My Dad used a Nokia 6310, around that time, and the most interesting thing about this phone used to be - Snake. The 8310 comparatively had GPRS, A memo, Infrared, voice recorder and T9 Dictionary support as some advanced features then. I was awed by the phone and readily listed it as my 'Dream Phone'.

2006 March -

Four years later while in college when my Dad considered it worthwhile to give me a phone, the first one that struck me was the 8310. However while the color & mp3 phones had taken over by 2005 and there was even a buzz of the iPhone around. Surprisingly, my Dad got me one - A Nokia 8310. All my dreams flashed back the moment I got it in my hand. I was a happy man !!

2008 - September

Now with an HTC Touch, I am all the more awed with the way Internet on the go is trending. 1.7 Billion Mobile subscribers by 2012 - Only from BRIC nations & 680 Million Internet users worldwide expected out of the whole lot are numbers to swear by the fact that internet over mobile is a medium waiting to grow and ramp exponentially.