growing trend of people going back to "dumb" cell phones

Smartphones are amazing. They connect us with our world in ways we probably couldn't even imagine our phone doing just a few years ago, but they also have their downsides like fast-draining batteries, large size and addictive qualities.

A recent news story that has made the rounds in several publications is about how a wave of people -- young and old alike -- are returning to old school, simple cell phones instead of smartphones. The smartphone market isn't slowing down, but many people are choosing the older models for a wide range of reasons.

The Daily Mail reports that cell phone resellers have seen a surge in purchases since last year. Vintage models like old Nokias, Ericssons and Motorolas are not only selling quickly, but at large sums.

"Some people don't blink at the prices, we have models at more than €1,000 (£810 or $1,360)," Djassem Haddad, who started the site vintagemobile.fr in 2009, told AFP.

"The high prices are due to the difficulty in finding those models, which were limited editions in their time."

feelthelove wrote:

I had the Sony phone in that pic, I wonder if I can find it??!! Might be worth a fortune

Have to admit I love my iPhone so won't be going back in time!

Ben_Reilly wrote:

feelthelove wrote:

I had the Sony phone in that pic, I wonder if I can find it??!! Might be worth a fortune

Have to admit I love my iPhone so won't be going back in time!

I still have several old "dumb" phones, including a few that aren't so dumb (the kind with the slider keyboard for easier texting). Might want to see what I could get as well!

Lone Wolf wrote: 

I have a Siemens non-smart mobile sitting in a drawer here, whose battery died when that phone was practically worth zilch...

I wonder if it's in that in-demand-again group now ?