📰 Why this phone matters:The Nokia NM156 is one of the rarest Japan-exclusive Nokia models ever created. Designed for NTT DoCoMo’s PDC digital network in 1998 and manufactured in Finland, this model represents a very unusual chapter in Nokia’s history, when the company produced hardware specifically for Japan and not for the global GSM market.
Beyond its Pearl Olive finish and Japanese kana keypad, what makes this phone truly special is its documented production history. The internal Nokia type code NSY-3LX confirms the exact hardware platform used only for the NM15x PDC family, while the factory codes place this device in batch 048 of 1998, assembled in the Salo plant in Finland. With only 94 units assembled before this one in that batch, surviving examples like this are exceptionally difficult to find outside Japan.
Even more impressive, this particular unit still powers on correctly and allows you to navigate through the original menu despite the fact that PDC networks have long been discontinued. Functioning NM156 units are very scarce and highly sought after.
📰 Why this phone matters:The Nokia rinGo was designed to be easy to use straight out of the box and was cheap to buy, due to special mobile carrier tariffs.[An ETACS version of the rinGo with minor design changes was launched in 1997 in the United Kingdom and Austria. It was the UK’s first pay as you go Nokia handset through Vodafone’s pay as you talk package. It was also sold in Thailand under the name Wave900.
In press releases it was also called a ‘concept’, a way of easily buying and using a mobile phone without operator registration. Nokia unusually created a unique “rinGo” brand and logo for it. ater in October 1998 a third (NHX-7) model was released for ETACS in Italy and Spain (the latter via operator Moviline). It featured the “Navi-key” like on the GSM Nokia 3110 and Nokia 5110 and had its top antenna positioned in the middle.
Nokia rinGo 3
The phones have the capacity to store about 60 contacts. Calculator, Watch and Calendar were pre installed on the handset.
Nokia marketed original rinGo targeting women and children. However it gained a negative reputation and in Sweden earned the nickname “bimbo phone”, leading to low sales.Interest and popularity of the rinGo quickly faded and it has been largely forgotten since.
📰 Why this phone matters:The Siemens C10 is a mobile phone made by Siemens in December 1997. The phone was available in four colours: Blue, yellow, red and grey. The C10 had a green backlit display capable of showing three lines. It weighed 165 g with battery and 117 g without.
