Go Retro! Cell Phone Embedded in Authentic Black Rotary Dial Telephone

Retro tech is usually cheap-looking and therefore sad. There are WWII era radios with flip switches and analog dials that oh my look at that, have a CD player inside, and those rotary phones with little buttons where the actual finger hole should be. But here’s something different. A company called Spark Fun Electronics has gutted authentic, heavy black rotary dial telephones and embedded a real cellphone inside. This would make a great gag gift if you didn’t mind lugging around a bulky 2 pound monster, and for the fact that it costs a whopping $400. For the man or woman who literally has everything I guess.

“Phone comes fully assembled and tested. All you have to do is open the phone, insert your SIM card, and turn the unit on. The unit will utilize your phone number and account minutes. Phone can dial out using the rotary and will ring with the original metal bells with an incoming call. As it is a ever-evolving prototype we may have to program the phone to work with your dialing formats. The GM862 cellular module from Telit is very expensive ($120) but should work within any country that has one of the 900MHz/1800MHz/1900MHz bands.

“The custom PCB is expensive and difficult to assemble. The phone ringer circuit must also be assembled by hand. We also have to hunt down a rotary phone to dissect! Please allow a 2-3 week lead time. The battery can run the phone for 5-6 hours and is charged by unscrewing two screws on the bottom of the phone, opening it, and attaching the charger.” Source: Spark Fun Electronics via Gizmodo