Flashback: phones that weren’t, part 3: an award-winning design hobbled by an awful chipset

25 June 2023
The NuAns Neo was an ambitious phone with desktop capabilities and an easy to personalize design, but it had the insides of a $100 phone.

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LazyEngineer, 25 Jun 2023There is rumours that MS will showcase new windows 12 in la... moreWell they showcase Handheld Ui which is fine for mobile form factor too, with Zen cloud core and Lunar lake cores soon we will have powerfull X86 cores in mobile like devices.

    I wish microsoft made smartphone again. More competition would brew more innovation and good products. I have heard rumors that microsoft is developing a fully open source completely new linux based mobile os. Really hoping this rumor is true.

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      • Anonymous
      • 0vE
      • 25 Jun 2023

      “Artificial leather”

      Ah yes, the days when stuff was called for what it really was.

      Now “artificial leather” or “PU leather” is not trendy anymore. /s

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        • blue
        • nrH
        • 25 Jun 2023

        YUKI93, 25 Jun 2023That's why I still miss Motorola's Moto Mods conc... moreIt was nonsense. It nearly killed Motorola, because their top models could not be adapted to changing trends in modern phone industry. Any add-on accessory relying on a specific body shape is a big mistake.

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          • Anonymous
          • mI3
          • 25 Jun 2023

          "NuAns Neo"
          "Nu A ns"
          "A Nu ns"
          ....were they serious with that name? lmao there is no way this was not intentional.

            NeonHD, 25 Jun 2023Man, if only modern-day smartphone OEMs could opt for a mod... moreThat's why I still miss Motorola's Moto Mods concept. I totally love the idea that you can have multiple add-on accessories without ever relying on Bluetooth. It was fantastic!

              Ibn Batuta, 25 Jun 2023I regret that I never owned windows phone....lumia 720 was ... moreThe headphone jack and microSD card slot never go outdated and will always stay relevant. Just look at Sony - they did remove the headphone jack on their 2018 and 2019 flagship phones, even citing the rising trend of wireless audio peripherals. But then, in 2020, Sony surprised everyone by putting it back on the Xperia 1 Mk2. It feels like someone at Sony realized that removing the headphone jack is not a brilliant idea.

              I do miss the mobile OS competition of yesteryears, though. I never got my chance to try out BlackBerry OS to this day.

                I regret that I never owned windows phone....lumia 720 was my favourite...almost had it but bought Xperia M in August 2013..... Those days when u actually had different options to pick from....... windows/Android/ios/symbian/tizen so much diversity.... Now people choose phones on the availability of 3.5mm/sdcard slot.... And yes I'm one of them

                  Anonymous, 25 Jun 2023Applaud while saying other do not do new stuff, I suppose. ... moreI disagree here bro.

                  If we can learn or say copy something good from others, there's no imping in that.

                    There is rumours that MS will showcase new windows 12 in late 2024 with better ARM support, I hope they also release in smartphone form factor because metro ui in windows Phone had best accessibility features for disabled people.

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                      • blue
                      • 60H
                      • 25 Jun 2023

                      NeonHD, 25 Jun 2023Man, if only modern-day smartphone OEMs could opt for a mod... moreAs you can see, people don't want it.

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                        • Anonymous
                        • U@K
                        • 25 Jun 2023

                        Healthyheart, 25 Jun 2023Beloved Windows Phone 8.1 Those days were amazing, lots ... moreThe problem is, for most there's only 1 OS today. Either Iphones don't cover the lower price points or Ios doesn't cover the users expectations.

                        Windows phone was a great alternative OS in that it was cheaper, featureful, good looking and at the minimum a great feature phone alternative. At one point in time, you can find a Lumia 5 owner anywhere you go, and for many it was their first smartphone.

                          dexterouz, 25 Jun 2023For a second, I read it as ANU$ 🥲Glad I'm not the only one.

                            For a second, I read it as ANU$ 🥲

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                              • Anonymous
                              • 0p}
                              • 25 Jun 2023

                              Healthyheart, 25 Jun 2023Yet they help us in using good features. I applaud Applaud while saying other do not do new stuff, I suppose.
                              What is case of samsung, only copies and advertise as new.

                                Those colors are delightful. I'd definitely choose the Navy Blue on the top piece and wood on the bottom.

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • s8L
                                  • 25 Jun 2023

                                  Best design was of Nokia N9 and N8.

                                  Just imagine them with modern slim bezel design, is just next level.

                                  It is sad that today's phones don't emphasize on design. Only specs and features.

                                  If you see samsung phones they just surrendered. No design, only simple camera placement in all their phones from M series to the flip/fold/ultra flagships.

                                    Moral of the story: Don't judge a book by its cover

                                      Man, if only modern-day smartphone OEMs could opt for a modular design approach like this again.

                                      I miss the days when you could swap the backs of Moto X devices with a plethora of different colors, materials and textures.

                                        Anonymous, 25 Jun 2023Continuum later copied by Samsung. Samsung is biggest c... moreYet they help us in using good features.

                                        I applaud

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