Biggest-selling mobile phone

The basic-but-tough Nokia 1100, launched in 2003 and known by its developers simply as ‘The Penny’, has shipped more than 250 million units. That puts it far ahead of its nearest rivals, Nokia’s own 3210/3310 (released in 1999) and the Motorola RAZR V3 (launched in 2004). Cheap, robust and widely available, the Nokia 1100 came just at the right time to catch the communications revolution across the developing world – particularly in India – and it remains a testament to the new wireless age. Such success is, however, no guarantee of continued momentum. By 2012, and for the first time in a decade, Nokia had dropped out of the top five smartphone makers in the world.