Issue #60
March 10th, 2017

This Week's 3 Bells

Nokia 3310 | Blockchain land | Tumbling Toshiba

The much-loved Nokia 3310 is back

Remember that familiar shape? Many people do. The Nokia 3310 was once the world's most ubiquitous mobile phone. It was cheap, chic and everywhere. It is many people's fond memory of their first ever cellphone. And weirdly, it's back. Finnish start-up HMD Global acquired the Nokia brand name in 2016, and has just launched modern versions of the iconic handset. It retains the familiar shape, but with a more modern interface and colours. It's still just a feature phone, though, not very 'smart' at all. Basic camera, very little internet functionality...
So why bring it back? Isn't its time over? This is actually just a clever marketing move. The makers were simultaneously launching more modern Nokia-branded Android phones. They would have received hardly any attention. They're playing on nostalgia to relaunch Nokia. The 3310 is not really what they want you to buy...
Most humans are very susceptible to nostalgia, and hark back to imagined wonderful pasts. It's a powerful emotion to sell to.

Could the blockchain transform land registries?

Blockchain technology - the distributed ledger that makes all transactions real-time and visible to all parties - could have a surprisingly mundane real-world application: land registries. Sweden is experimenting with putting its land registry system on blockchain. The technology would make the details of real estate transactions visible to all parties – banks, brokers, government officials, buyers and sellers.
For developing countries, where land fraud is rife, building immutable title systems on blockchain could be a means of stamping out fraudulent practice. It might also help banks to be more comfortable to lend against land. A company is looking at the feasibility of putting titles on blockchain in Ghana, where an estimated 78% of land is unregistered.
The transparency of blockchain could have many applications in human transactions. Sorting out the land title legitimacy problem of emerging markets would be a great start.

Toshiba continues to slide

Remember Toshiba? It probably stopped having much relevance in the lives of ordinary consumers some time ago. I once had a trusty workhorse Toshiba laptop, but wouldn't contemplate buying one now. Or a Toshiba TV or music system. Toshiba stopped innovating in the consumer electronics space, and paid the price. But like many of Japan's sprawling conglomerates, it still has many business: it makes memory chips, elevators - and nuclear reactors. And it just declared a $6.3 billion writedown in its nuclear operations. This is part of a general slide in the fortunes of many Japanese titans. Where are JVC and Sony and Panasonic these days? Most are the victims of chronic loss of competitiveness.
If you lose your edge, bad practice often follows, leading to a downward spiral. If you're a leader in a business that's gradually losing its competitive advantage, pay attention early. Very early.
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