Cool Gift of the Day
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
What it is:
A cell phone accessory with a retro twist, a handset that looks just like a classic phone.
Why we love it:
Ain't technology grand? Every few months they seem to come out with a cell phone that's even smaller and more high tech. This one has a camera and that one has bluetooth, this one's the size of your cigarette lighter and that one's the size of your pinky. Yep, they'll just keep improving them until they're no bigger than the head of a pin and do everything from answering your calls to mowing your lawn. It's all very spiffy, but we admit that occasionally we have to shake our head and the never-ending race for the slickest, hottest cell phone. If you have a friend with an unhealthy cell phone obsession, or someone who is vainly fighting to resist the overwhelming tide of tiny, shiny electronics, then maybe it's time to give them the valuable gift of perspective. This retro phone handset will plug into just about any cell phone and reminds one of the days when you could hold a phone handset in a manly fist, instead of perched between your thumb and pinky. Yes, it really works, just like in the good old days of Ma Bell and switchboard operators, and it serves as a reminder that tiny and high tech isn't always better than simple and classic. We'll pass on the chance to go back to black and white TV, or hand-washing our clothes, but this is one anti-innovation that we think still has a place in our very high tech world.