And there's more. HMD and Mattel have decided to join forces and
this summer the Barbie flip phone will hit the market. Obviously, the two companies are trying to take advantage of the return of Barbiemania which occurred after the
barbie the film was released last year. It won't be a smartphone and Lars Silberbauer, Marketing Director of Human Mobile Devices, donned his pun to compose the following: “Is it time to trade real life for real life and take a break after all notifications interruptions? We “We are excited to partner with Mattel, a company that shares our commitment to meaningful innovation and societal change.”
Mattel also had to weigh in and the toymaker's head of consumer products, publishing and LBE in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Ruth Henriquez, said: “The design and innovation are at the heart of Mattel. “The latest collaboration is another step forward in that direction. The launch of Barbie x HMD promises to be an
exciting time for Barbie fans of all ages, we're excited to flip the switch and reveal it to the world at Mobile World Congress.
HMD will launch a Barbie flip phone this summer
Human Mobile Devices says there is a market for feature phones as 38% of 16-24 year olds worry about spending too much time online. Maybe I'm just an old phone nerd, but if you want to take my smartphone away from me, you'll have to snatch it from my cold, dead hands. Is anyone with me on this?
No, this is not a rendering of HMD's Barbie flip phone
A Dane named Arne Mathiasen is said to be championing the feature phone movement and is trying to get young Danes to upgrade from smartphones to feature phones. So far he has converted 1,500 university students and says: “My students participate in experiments where they switch to a feature phone for ten days. Students visibly talked more with each other, reported better sleep, and also said their anxiety levels had decreased. it's all about balance; I like to tell my students: use your smartphone like a tablet, use it for what you need, then put it away, don't get lost in it.
According to HMD, sales of flip phones doubled in Europe last year and further gains are expected this year. Of the Barbie flip phone, Human Mobile Devices says, “This device promises to embody the vintage chic of the original girl-empowerment brand with a touch of pink and of course, sparkle.” If a Ken model is made, we wonder if it will have a
camera bump.
