Why a rotary cellphone? Because in a finicky, annoying, touchscreen world of hyperconnected people using phones they have no control over or understanding of, I wanted something that would be entirely mine, personal, and absolutely tactile, while also giving me an excuse for not texting.
The point isn’t to be anachronistic. It’s to show that it’s possible to have a perfectly usable phone that goes as far from having a touchscreen as I can imagine, and which in some ways may actually be more functional.
Genius.
Imagine if for purposes of security, you could give young children a phone that was just a phone without the social media InstaFace baggage!
To be fair, there are plenty of phones on the market without easy social media access.
It would probably be even more secure than that– kids these days most likely would have no idea how to dial either, and they probably don’t know any phone numbers by memory, so no calls either. 🙂
Might teach them better memory. Apparently that is becoming a problem as we need to remember fewer and fewer specific numbers as children.
But more and more passwords!
I know people who have never used a push button phone.
My dad (a chef) asked one of the waitresses to put an order for him. She looked at the landline and said “how do i call on this”
Not just kids. can only remember one number and that’s from where I lived 20 + years back.
Clearly they need a Casio DataBank watch to go with it then to store their important phone numbers..
CodeMonkey,
Haha, I’d laugh so hard if I saw that! Someone pulls out one of these phones and then look up numbers on their casio data watch…intentionally or not, that’s comedy gold!
Jitter Bug makes a line of phones like that, targeted to kids and seniors.
Not sure if it’s still available, but there was one version that had something like 5 speed-dial buttons and nothing else. 🙂
I’m the polar opposite of the demographic for this (Rather than a smartphone, I bought an OpenPandora palmtop which only does “apps”.) but it’s still such a cool, geeky thing that I wish I could justify buying a kit just to have one.
Did Justine just give out her email and phone number on the blog ?
Hey look! The OSNews staff has email contact info on their blog –> https://www.osnews.com/contact/
That is perfect for my stepkids! They want a cellphone. I DON’T want them on social media without my supervision. Also, there’s NO calculator for them to cheat on math tests or Google/Wikipedia to cheat on tests on other subjects. It also looks rugged. No Cracked screens baby!!! Also teh NSA or tech giants will NOT get rich data from them. No texting/sexting since there’s no keyboard or camera! It’s also as fat as a brick, so that means removeable battery!!! It’s also not inconspicuous, so their friends will definitely KNOW they have a phone. LOL Will they like it? No. But since I’m paying for it, That’s THEIR problem. I don’t care if I have to Fred Flintstone my family back to teh stone-ages. I call it good parenting. I should get one for myself!
I don’t know man, it has numbers on it. The kids could rig up a calculator pretty, pretty easily. The dang thing even has a programmable cpu on it! Plus: no social meida, its a phone! Think of who they could call, or who could call them! Its not safe! For *my* kids, they only have access to a land line analogue pay phone in our living room that is only connected to the in house pbx. All communication is strictly monitored. If they need a ride somewhere, they can just ask the body guard I have assigned to covertly watch them at all times, they have their phrasebook to signal they need to break cover.
@Bill
You have some smart children man. East coast USA kids can’t tie their shoelaces without help and a tummy rub.. but that’s what velcro is for. I like and appreciate your narcissism. Keep up the good work man. This kit brings back fond memories: having to remember phone numbers, NO CALLER ID (A good thing so your child doesnt know or expect a call from the parents at an inopportune time for them), DTMF codes, etc. If this phone doesn’t force child ingenuity, not much will. I hope that phon e has that extra loud Bell Ringer.
Speak for your own kids, pal.
@dumdum
I would NOT represent your spawn sir/madam.
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Does OSNews no longer have a means to report spam comments?
Let me upvote this… oh wait, I can’t because I already posted a comment. Haha.
On a serious note though, osnews could delegate simple moderation functions to some users. It’s unfortunate that wordpress doesn’t provide sophisticated forum management functionality.
I did a brief search for wordpress comment moderation plugins and I found this:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wpsite-comment-moderator/
Ideally though the spam moderator would just have the ability to hide comments and not to edit them, both reviews highlight this shortcoming. Anyone have an alternative?
WordPress’ comments system sucks.
The123king,
Yeah, It’s probably ok for most simple blogs, but it’s just very basic. Anyone with moderate to sophisticated needs will likely quickly reach wordpress limits and have to mess with modifications. I really suspect this is by design in order to promote its marketplace. I’ve been working with wordpress under the hood and I’ve got a lot of gripes. The database is a mess with completely unrelated record types stuffed into a single table, it’s overnormalized with every entity requiring several joins, and the primary keys are awful and not based on how the data is actually used. Not only does this make wordpress much more difficult to work with, but performance suffers significantly and multiplies the number of disk seeks to read a single record.
Like it or not most blogs and even many ecommerce sites are consolidating around wordpress and I’m seeing more and more customers opting for wordpress over traditional web development. I was proficient at building fast & efficient websites… It irks me so much to have to lower the bar with wordpress. The reality is many customers have gotten accustomed to ultra-cheap web development firms that do very little beyond launching a wordpress site with a few plugins and a slightly customized theme. It’s only after they discover just how limiting it is that they look to developers like me for customization, but by then they’ve already used up their budget going down the wordpress path.
Bah, the web development field didn’t use to be this way. Custom web development is being slaughtered in the SMB market. It’s to the point where economically I may have to take the advice of the “if you can’t beat them, join them” club and focus on large numbers of trivial wordpress deployments instead. It isn’t profitable to fight the tide, and it takes too much effort! Somehow I’d have to get over the feeling that my skills are being wasted 🙁
“More functional”…. In what way exactly? It’s capable of only about the *least used* function of a cell phone – making phone calls. “Genius”…. Only if the bar is below ground level. This is neither a new idea nor the first rotary dial cell phone. Besides making hipsters feel hipstery and retro, what purpose does this actually serve? For the cost of several hundred dollars, time, inconvenience, and severe lack of capability, I’m going to say no thanks. I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade however. I’d love to see someone bust one of these out and use it like it’s totally normal.
@fredchicken
I believe you speak for the Millennials sir. I, personally am not of that sort. I believe the builder isn’t trying to corner the market on sales, as it’s open source. In my younger days, I thought rotary dial phones were fun, and not a drudgery. Today’s standards require internet, data plans, etc. here in America. But THIS phone is genius in that it requires only the Cell signal. This is Genius, in the fact that you’d save on phone costs as Data is not needed. so the dirt cheapest plan is supported only… Albeit the wireless companies will battle you tooth and nail to sign up for their data inclusive plan, even lie, saying that the phone isnt supported. But if you are a DIY person that have built one of these, you’d see that this isnt so. All in all, Yes, I’d purchase two of these, for the simple fact that this gives me freedom in modding my HW and forces my step-children to be social, the correct way. Hell, I think I’ll get another one for my wife. I see it can also be used as a weapon if a threat occurs.
spiderdroid,
Electromechanical rotary dial systems were very ingenious for their time. Originally the hardware at the phone exchange was mechanically synchronized with a phone’s rotor…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xI9tXi-UNs
What they managed to do mechanically was very impressive. The first digital line finder systems would still use electromechanical relays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Ln7IP2Y9Q
When conceived, the rotary phone was very much a case of function over style. So I find it extremely ironic that today a rotary phone interface would end up being used in such a clear case of style over function. Today a rotor is more expensive and has very little functional merit beyond the contrived. Not that there’s anything wrong using one for style. I think it would catch people’s attention and I would be very amused to see someone using it!
“I believe you speak for the Millennials sir. I, personally am not of that sort. I believe the builder isn’t trying to corner the market on sales, as it’s open source.”
Nope, I only speak for my not-a-millennial myself, who remembers what using a rotary dial phone was like. As far as the builder, .. the software may be open source but what about the `kit` being sold for a couple hundred bucks a pop and only comes with a 3d printed case and simple pcb. You still have to locate and purchase everything else; “A very specific Western Electric rotary dial, Adafruit FONA 3G, Adafruit eInk Breakout Friend, The Good Display GDEW0213I5F 2.13″ flexible ePaper display, 1.2Ah Lipo Battery w/JST connector, Quad-band GSM Antenna w/SMA connector, SMA Bulkhead Connector w/µFL pigtail, a compatible 3G SIM card.” About another $150 on top of the price of the kit.
“Today’s standards require internet, data plans, etc. here in America. But THIS phone is genius in that it requires only the Cell signal. This is Genius, in the fact that you’d save on phone costs as Data is not needed. so the dirt cheapest plan is supported only…”
There are tons of carriers who offer basic service non-data plans. I’ve seen countless ads anywhere from $7-$20/month. Phones capable of just basic cell service can be had in that same price range so it is *really* “genius” to create one that costs 20x-30x+ more that’s less convenient, far less capable, and stuck on a network (3G) which will be out-of-service by all US carriers within the next 2 years? Nothing about that is genius.
“All in all, Yes, I’d purchase two of these, for the simple fact that this gives me freedom in modding my HW and forces my step-children to be social, the correct way.”
I’d predict you probably would do very little modding to this, if any at all, and you’d likely hear from your step-children less. I’d also argue that being social `the correct way` would be to pay your relatives a visit. A real phone call is only one step better than a text. Spending time with people in person is what I consider to be social, not simply chatting on the phone.
Let’s not pretend this DIY rotary dial cell phone is anything more than it really is – a fairly easy project for someone who likes to tinker. It’s entertainment for a tech hobbyist, not a genius `invention` and certainly not “more functional” in any conceivable way than even basic phones. As a tinker project it makes sense, albeit overpriced. But to suggest it’s a money-saving investment or tool to help people with math, memory, and social skills? Come on, who is *honestly* drinking that Koolaid?
@FriedChicken
“but what about the `kit` being sold for a couple hundred bucks a pop and only comes with a 3d printed case and simple pcb.”
That’s a fair statement, but at who’s expense does the HW come from? The original builder? Open source doen’t necessarily equates to “free” as in no cost.( Imagine me saying that). Most OEMS patent almosteverything about the HW and SW now. So I believe open source here has the conotation of “The plans are shared freely and you can do what you want to… no rules. ”
“There are tons of carriers who offer basic service non-data plans. I’ve seen countless ads anywhere from $7-$20/month. Phones capable of just basic cell service can be had in that same price range so it is *really* “genius” to create one that costs 20x-30x+ more that’s less convenient, far less capable, and stuck on a network (3G) which will be out-of-service by all US carriers within the next 2 years? Nothing about that is genius.
Of course nearly every carrier in America Offers basic Cell service. That may be due to law. But TRY to aquire such a plan without a lot of pushback and redirection to a data plan.
“Let’s not pretend this DIY rotary dial cell phone is anything more than it really is – a fairly easy project for someone who likes to tinker. It’s entertainment for a tech hobbyist, not a genius `invention` and certainly not “more functional” in any conceivable way than even basic phones. As a tinker project it makes sense, albeit overpriced. But to suggest it’s a money-saving investment or tool to help people with math, memory, and social skills? Come on, who is *honestly* drinking that Koolaid?”
Agreed, It’s a tinkerer’s thing. But I personally am too old and out of shape for soldering work. I’d rather purchase it prebuilt, if ever it comes out. I still hold to the claim of it being genius. Not because it’s new tech. But because of what it prevents by design. sometimes low tech is the best approach to tech problems. Let’s see, Does this phone have adware, spyware, and crapware? No. Is it visually offputting to the younger generation but satisfies their “need” for a cellphone without compromising family privacy, innocence, etc. much? Yes I believe so. Damn that Koolaid is good!
And yeah, the reference was up in the air regarding Koolaid and Flavor Aid, when referencing the Jonestown Massacre.
“But to suggest it’s a money-saving investment or tool to help people with math, memory, and social skills? Come on, who is *honestly* drinking that Koolaid?””
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Slashdot and other TechNews Website fanbois
I am 62 and absolutely hate phone calls. I carry a portable internet device. Phones? Ewww!