Now that cell phone circuitry is so commoditised and cheap, it should be possible to build interesting cell phones to complement whatever you're wearing.

The Retro Cell Phone #1: Black and curvaceous, moulded out of Bakelite (rather than a modern plastic), with a chrome-plated steel rotary dial for dialing numbers (Of course, the phone would have to do the pulse to tone conversion).

The Retro Cell Phone #2: Rectangular with semicircular ends, '50's styling, cream plastic edged with fine chrome-plated rails, clunky green buttons like some old car radio.

The Retro Cell Phone #3: The handset from some old phone of your choice - with cellphone circuitry hidden in it.
-- hippo, Oct 10 2000


retro cell phones of the massive variety [hob, Jan 23 2005]

Fisher Price http://www.fisherpr...product.asp?id=3231
[hippo, Oct 10 2000, last modified Oct 21 2004]

(??) Apple iPod LC http://homepage.mac...r/ipodlc/index.html
(joke) PDA/phone/MP3 player with rotary dial [hippo, Oct 10 2000, last modified Oct 17 2004]

(?) the IRonphone http://www.ironphone.com/
it's an Iron, it's a cellphone, you can buy it.and the cord is also the carger [dr_photon, Mar 14 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

(?) the BlenderPhone http://www.cycoactive.com/blender/
not cellular but it's a BLENDERPHONE...it "blends" when it rings [dr_photon, Mar 14 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

70's Desktop Cellphone http://retards.org/.../desktop_cellphone/
A retro cellphone project [2n2222a, Mar 28 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

(?) Pokia - retro cellphones http://www.pokia.com
Looking almost baked... (link taken from [wagster]'s Victorian technology idea. [hippo, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

(?) Retro Phone http://www.retrophone.net/
Another retro cell phone project, based out of NYC. [Kingfox, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

banana fone http://www.albinobl...ash/badgerphone.php
cellular, modular, interactive-odular [andrew1, May 04 2005]

(?) Portable Rotary Phone http://www.sparkfun...?shop=1&itemid=416&
Made to order. [waugsqueke, May 13 2005]

Rotary cell phone https://www.youtube...watch?v=uV1C-41tq64
[Voice, Sep 21 2022]

Banana Phone - now with Bluetooth! https://youtu.be/tfBIpzdckeU
[21 Quest, Sep 21 2022]

Retro Cell Phone #4: Incorporate a telephone into a large man's shoe, and include a rotary dial.
-- supercat, Oct 10 2000


I want one of the enormous military surplus walkie talkies. The ones where the handset is 2 feet long & the mike & speaker are 3 inch disks. The empty space inside would make a fine purse or cd player.
-- tenhand, Oct 10 2000


[tenhand] I hadn't thought about the 'military look', but the phone which you describe would certainly turn heads.
-- hippo, Oct 11 2000


Retro Cell Phone #5: REAL old style, with a fake crank on the side and voice recognition circuitry so you could wind the crank and say "Thelma, could you patch me through to..."
-- Alcin, Oct 11 2000


Why not one that looks like a stick with a split in the end of it holding a folded note? [Seriously, is there such a thing as optimum technology? My wife and me were given a mobile each years back. We've never needed either of them, whereas my computer and her manual typewriter and our fax and extension phones are in constant use.]
-- rayfo, Nov 13 2000


a really ancient style- like an ancient roman or maybe ancient egyptian (of course they didn't have mobile phones,but something could be designed to look like it was a phone from those times)
-- technobadger, Jan 20 2001


Two cans connected by a white (string-colored) piece of stiff wire?
-- nick_n_uit, Jan 21 2001


Two seashells. You could use real seashells with cellphone circuitry hidden inside.
-- hippo, Mar 05 2001


and the phone would of course play any of your favourite tunes with the proviso that the tune must preceed the date 1979. Hence, Partridge Family theme tune, or any Beatles numbers etc.
-- stickyman, Mar 05 2001


Link added. It should be pretty easy to make a cell phone which looks exactly like the Fisher-Price phone...
-- hippo, Jun 12 2001


Amusing link added.
-- hippo, Oct 29 2001


could you not just buy one of those early mobiles that requires a wheelbarrow for the battery?
-- kaz, Nov 02 2001


In principle, yes - except that you can't buy them any more and they don't work with modern (digital) networks.
-- hippo, Nov 04 2001


Link added - was illustration for my redundant retro phones idea, but now it's for this one.
-- hob, Jul 10 2003


//could you not just buy one of those early mobiles that requires a wheelbarrow for the battery?//

BTW, one advantage of some of the "bag" phones is that because the antenna isn't right next to the user's head they can be allowed a higher output power level. Not usually relevant in digital-service areas, but can be a plus in places where the nearest tower is a long way away (note: analog has longer range than digital)
-- supercat, Jul 11 2003


I want a noir phone, with the "Spy Hunter" theme and "Casablanca" and "Mission Impossible" and "The Maltese Falcon" and so on. Lots of brass and bass.
-- Eugene, Jul 18 2004


I like this. I'd buy a retro phone. I love retro stuff.(+) [supercat]the shoe phone would be cool too, but I'd want mine to be a woman's shoe. High heel cell phones. Might be kind of dangerous though. lol

[nick_n_uit] a phone that looked like a soda can would be kind of cute too. Or beer cans for rednecks.

What about like the (original) Star Trek Walkie talkies(comminicators?) They would make the same same sounds as well.
-- PinkDrink, Jul 18 2004


//I think i saw one somewhere already, but i want a cell phone that looks like a bannana.// see link
-- andrew1, May 04 2005


Nicely done [hob]

[hippo] your second and third links are down, you should tell a moderator or something. : ]
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jul 31 2008



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