I was discussing a similar semiotic point the other day, namely the ‘Save’ floppy disk icon. I was arguing for its retention. Although it’s no longer an iconic representation of the hardware, it has passed into the realm of symbol, representing the task rather than the medium. I suppose the same applies here.
Some UK phoneboxes still retain this style of handset, although it must be several years since I’ve used one. If trendy Brighton shops are anything to go by, the retro style is commanding ridiculous prices amongst nostalgia junkies.
David Dunham
We still have ’em at work. We call them “black bananas.” And they are almost never used, since everyone has a cell phone…
Call me sentimental, I still love having an old fashioned phone in the house even though I have a cell phone. Just like how, I prefer so much more to do my brainstorming in pen and pencil 🙂
I managed to get one of those retro rotary ones from eBay, getting pretty rare though.
My parents used to have one when I was a child – I remember my dad used to answer the phone by announcing the village name and our three digit number. Funny, eh!
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7 responses to “Phone”
When was the last time you held, in your hands, a phone that looked like this? When was the last time you ever even saw one?
I was discussing a similar semiotic point the other day, namely the ‘Save’ floppy disk icon. I was arguing for its retention. Although it’s no longer an iconic representation of the hardware, it has passed into the realm of symbol, representing the task rather than the medium. I suppose the same applies here.
Some UK phoneboxes still retain this style of handset, although it must be several years since I’ve used one. If trendy Brighton shops are anything to go by, the retro style is commanding ridiculous prices amongst nostalgia junkies.
We still have ’em at work. We call them “black bananas.” And they are almost never used, since everyone has a cell phone…
Call me sentimental, I still love having an old fashioned phone in the house even though I have a cell phone. Just like how, I prefer so much more to do my brainstorming in pen and pencil 🙂
I managed to get one of those retro rotary ones from eBay, getting pretty rare though.
My parents used to have one when I was a child – I remember my dad used to answer the phone by announcing the village name and our three digit number. Funny, eh!
If you really miss them, there is a company that offers rebuild skype (etc) phones that look like the old ones: http://www.hulger.com/
I see such a phone everyday, in my bedroom:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nuail/3014788817/
The tactile feel of those phones, the sound they make… Unsurpassed. And yes, I’m nostalgic.
Cheers!
Rick