Back in 1999, the coolest trend in tech was to swap the plastic cover of your beloved Nokia 5110 for a jazzier, more colourful number. Now, Nokia is reincarnating that trend, by releasing mechanical drawings of the back cover of its Lumia 820 so that users can 3D print their own.
Arguably this is going to be a niche activity — 3D printers hardly come cheap — but the idea is a nice one. In a world full of sleek and beautiful phone design, a little personality has been lost along the way: we all essentially carry small glowing rectangles that are largely indistinguishable. Being able to conveniently print your own covers could help buck that trend.
As it stands though, 3D printers aren’t common, and as wonderful an idea it is, few will actually be able to print a new cover for their Lumia 820. Still, if you do have access to a 3D printer, go check out the designs — and let us know what you manage to create. [Nokia via Slashgear]