Hey, remember this article? Back in March 2020, (I’m pretty sure nothing else of interest happened that month) I posted a paean to Justine Haupt, the engineer who got so sick of complex phones that she made her own dial-based cell phone. I’ve never stopped being impressed with the technology, and I’m really glad to have been one of the people who boosted her story to the rest of the world.
Well, she’s back. It turns out while the rest of us spent the last 2.5 years bingewatching and eating Cheetos, she’s been working on a retail version of that phone. And, spoiler alert, it’s an even bigger bundle of awesomeness. Don’t believe me?
A custom-fabricated dial?
The video above tells you all about the project, including the fact that all the pieces are now 100% new. It seems that the original version sourced old rotary dial phone parts from thrift shops, but worry not! The rotary mechanism has been completely reverse-engineered, meaning that the whole mechanism is brand new. I love the idea that there’s someone out there deliberately manufacturing rotary dials in 2022. That’s so retro cool.
You can also see the other features of the phone and how it works. Because this is a geek-driven project, of course you add contacts by editing a text file on the included SD card. Of course you can hook it up to a computer and control every aspect directly. And of course, it has a little tiny real, physical bell that rings, actually rings. Would you expect anything less?
For those who crave privacy, you’ll see that there are real mechanical switches to turn the phone off and disable the microphone. Without a physical connection, it can’t be used to spy on you. Simple as that. And by the way, have you ever seen a phone with a “lambda” button? Now I want a lambda on all my phones.
Without a doubt the geekiest part of this
By the time you get to the end of the video, you have to decide what the geekiest part of it is. Is it the part where the cat models the phone? Is it the part where it ends abruptly with “End Transmission?” Oh my friends, those are supremely geeky moments but the real geekiness is that the video itself has absolutely no information about actually buying the “un-smartphone.” You have to figure out which of the web sites posted in the comments is the right one, then click through to another page, scroll halfway down, and then you can find a tiny button to help you buy the kit. Oh yeah, it’s still a kit. You still have to build it.
Would you expect anything less? I don’t know about you but I’m going to start saving my dimes and quarters to try to afford one of these. Of course my iPhone is more practical, but this little beauty is just… irresistible.
