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People Share 27 Of The Craziest Old Phone Designs They’ve Seen
Interview With Author
We’re about to hit you with such a heavy dose of nostalgia, you’ll probably wish you had a time machine, dear Pandas. Us? We’re already working on the blueprints: the early 2000s are calling us and we have no choice but to answer!
Like it or not, smartphones are here to stay for a long while. And while the tech and functionality are both brilliant nowadays, it sometimes feels like we lost a bit of soul when we upgraded. But things didn’t use to look so bland! In between the eras of old-timey bricks and ultra-modern slabs of obsidian, we had an era of unparalleled design innovation. Phones used to look incredibly strange, unique, and (dare we say it?) cool, back in the first decade of the new millennium.
Writer Gerry McBride, who works at the satirical news site Waterford Whispers News, went viral on Twitter after sharing some of the most out-there phone designs ever. We’re featuring the pics that he and other social media users brought to everyone’s attention. Upvote your fave phones, Pandas! Let us know which ones you had (or had your eye on). Oh, and be sure to check out Bored Panda’s full interview with Gerry. If you enjoyed his thread and incredibly witty commentary, be sure to follow his Twitter, too!
Meanwhile, we also got in touch with Matt Johnson, Ph.D., for a few insights into product design and the importance of functionality when it comes to phones. Johnson is a professor of consumer psychology at Hult International Business School and Harvard University, the host of the Neuroscience of Branding blog, and the author of 'Branding that Means Business: How to Build Enduring Bonds between Brands, Consumers and Markets.' You'll find both of our interviews below.
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#4
Fluffy mommy panda 3 years ago
I had one of these. I thought it was pretty cool. But now we have smart phones
#5
Theo Blackwood 3 years ago
I was WAITING to see the NGage. I had one, weirdest thing to take calls on but amazing for games.
#6
Blaze Fitzwater 3 years ago
Wow I had this phone and someone stole it off of my hip in the subway. Then I called my number and they pretended like they were gonna meet me and give it back for some money. Why did I agree to pay for my own phone LOL. Thankfully they never showed up. I was a gullible 15 year old.
#14
#18
FakeOptimist 3 years ago
I wonder how long the contacts lasted in those pivot points. And what happened after they wore out.
#19
Angela Turrall 3 years ago (edited)
Oh I was just talking about this one the other day, we got these as work phones (i worked for a telco), it was our first 3G phone, and I remember the intense headaches I used to get after using it. Still loved it though, it was a pretty standard design for a while. I’d had a Sony Ericsson thing before that which had a toggle that always broke off (because Nokias didn’t have cameras yet eke I’d have had a Nokia!j So this was a step up from that.
#25
Wood Carver 3 years ago
These were awesome. I saw one driven over by a back hoe and not drop the call.
#27
Rachel Reynolds 3 years ago
I wanted on of these so bad, solely because of this commercial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyhffiG6gPg
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And i was like WTF!! 3 years ago
When phone makers dared to explore and be unique. Now it is all the same
DennyS (denzoren) 3 years ago
Came here to say the same thing. Sure some aren't really practical but they were unique and different.
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bigfoot🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 3 years ago
sry about commenting on every single one. rn im in middle school with a Kyocera duraX flip phone so I just wanted to comment my thoughts on these
$cagsy 3 years ago
Dude, there's no need to apologise! You go ahead and comment as much as you like. Enjoy yourself. Comment sixteen times on every single post if the mood takes you. You have as much right to share your thoughts on BP as anybody else here. Go for it. But if you're gonna apologise to anyone, apologise to your teacher for surfing the net during their class, lol!
Load More Replies...
$cagsy 3 years ago
This little brick-sized beauty was my first phone in 1995. The NEC G9. Horrible to look at, horrible to carry, but really rather reliable. I drop-kicked it down a cobbled street by accident as I was walking and it bounced a few times. Not even a scratch. 189_001-63...f0f3a9.jpg 
And i was like WTF!! 3 years ago
When phone makers dared to explore and be unique. Now it is all the same
DennyS (denzoren) 3 years ago
Came here to say the same thing. Sure some aren't really practical but they were unique and different.
Load More Replies... bigfoot🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 3 years ago
sry about commenting on every single one. rn im in middle school with a Kyocera duraX flip phone so I just wanted to comment my thoughts on these
$cagsy 3 years ago
Dude, there's no need to apologise! You go ahead and comment as much as you like. Enjoy yourself. Comment sixteen times on every single post if the mood takes you. You have as much right to share your thoughts on BP as anybody else here. Go for it. But if you're gonna apologise to anyone, apologise to your teacher for surfing the net during their class, lol!
Load More Replies... $cagsy 3 years ago
This little brick-sized beauty was my first phone in 1995. The NEC G9. Horrible to look at, horrible to carry, but really rather reliable. I drop-kicked it down a cobbled street by accident as I was walking and it bounced a few times. Not even a scratch. 189_001-63...f0f3a9.jpg
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