Nokia 3110 Evolve

If you're the sort of person who thinks that not using a plastic bag for your shopping is actually some meaningful way to save the planet, then the Nokia 3110 Evolve is for you.

Based on an unremarkable and fairly inexpensive handset launched earlier this year, the 3110 Evolve is a basic tri-band GSM phone with a 128 x 160 pixel display, 1.3 megapixel camera, FM stereo radio, microSD expandable memory and an MP3 player, plus Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

It's a pretty lightweight handset at 87 grams, but you can tell by the specification that the screen is the 3110 Evolve's biggest weakness.

So what makes this different from a standard 3110? Well, Nokia say that there is "bio-sourced material on the covers", and they also say that the cover material is 50% renewable - so we guess that it uses some sort of plant-based hydrocarbon compound rather than plastic from fossil fuels. The Nokia 3110 Evolve comes in a much smaller sales package consisting of 60% recycled content, and there's a new more efficient phone charger. Nokia say that the charger uses "94% less energy than the Energy Star requirements" but does not give any figures comparing it to a standard unit.

In other words, the Nokia 3110 Evolve uses less plastic, is more efficient to transport and uses less power than a standard 3110. These are all good things, but add them together and they are hardly going to counteract all the billions of tons of carbon dioxide that humans are pumping into the atmosphere. Sure, getting a slightly greener phone (and using less plastic bags) is a good thing - but real change will require much harder lifestyle choices than this. And surely this sort of approach from manufacturers is the very least we should expect.

We think that there is a fatal flaw in Nokia's thinking - the Nokia 3110 Evolve is not the sort of phone that you'll want to hang onto for a few years. The limitations of the low-resolution screen will probably drive many people to replace it quite early. Our advice is this - buy a better phone, and keep it for longer. Then when you've finished with it, recycle it and raise some money for a worthwhile charity. Oh, and unplugging your phone charger when not in use is a good thing too.

The Nokia 3110 Evolve should be available during Q1 2008. No pricing was available at the time of going to press.

Nokia 3110 Evolve at a glance
Available: Q1 2008
Network:GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
Data:GPRS + EDGE
Screen:128x160 pixels, 262k colours
Camera:1.3 megapixels
Size:Lightweight monoblock 109 x 46 x 16mm / 87 grams
Bluetooth:Yes
Memory card:microSD
Infra-red:Yes
Polyphonic:Yes
Java:Yes
Battery life:3.5 hours talk / 16 days standby