Brick is back with the Mini MOB retro mobile
Is the mobile phone really mature enough for brick phones to make a retro comeback? According to the makers of the ironically named Mini MOB, the answer to that is yes. The Mini MOB is definitely designed in the retro brick phone style, but at only 3.5 cm wide, it could probably be considered a scale model. It includes some pretty standard specs -- camera, MP3 player, 128 MB card for the SD slot -- but also happens to have an amazing battery life of 30 days standby, and a full 72 hours of continuous talk time! That's almost enough to get us interested in picking one up, but at £160 ($320+) it ain't an easy decision.
[Via TechDigest]
[Via TechDigest]























They should actually make one with like an 1inch green lcd. That would be so retro that I would buy like 5 of them
It ruins it to have mp3 and a camera
I'd buy one if it was priced reasonably...
They adjusted for inflation. :)
Come to China. Here, those things are about $50 each.
So the fact that it does what nearly every other phone does... But only needing to be charged once every 2 weeks to once a month... is not good enough? Do you have any idea how expensive the battery is to power a phone for that long?
And have you seen the prices of phones lately? That is reasonable! (And I bet the price does NOT include any discounts that nearly all providers offer)
the batt in it isn't probably that expensive.
the form factor just happens to be so that there's a lot of space for a battery. doesn't need that good power density to be have relatively big mah rating compared to other phones batteries(you could probably fit 4 bl-5c nokia 1100 or so mah batteries in the space)
Yea, i went to china last year, got 2, 1 original size 1 mini size each for £20 only.. couldn't believe it myself
Well, duh. That's what happens if you take the electronics that fit in a RAZR and package them with a honking huge battery.
I know. They could easily pack a ton of memory into that brick and a bigger screen. Insanely long battery life is great, but it has got to have something more to get someone to want to haul that thing around.
if ur gonn be that thick man u better put 80 gig mini hdd in there or something because techs are getting way smaller nowdays
This comment hurt me. It really did. I tried to think of a rational argument against your point, but...nothing.
Side note: never start with "if ur gonna be that thick man."
Im just saying drummerboy; if an ipod touch can be thin and can have 16gig in there ,why cant this thick thing have more space? so much space is wasted inside.
your sidenote; i go both ways sweetie and my other side tends to take over my speech. if u know what i mean.
Useful when scouting Isla Sorna...
I would want something like this if it was a modern take on an old device. So while I like the look, I do not like the bulk... I like the extra faetures as well, but with teh extra girth, there should be more... For example, teh new Ford Mustang is a great re-invention... (But I want the new Camero.)
M
I do agree with you, but sorry, Pet-Peeve - It is "Camaro." I drive a Camaro, and that spelling mistake bothers me.
that bank of america ad sucks - thanks for blasting my speakers while floating.
I really want the old phone sizes back - why the hell does every company want to make a small piece of plastic poop? and just because it has X number of functions beyond being just a phone, it costs so damn much! - and when it falls to the pavement you usually have to get a new one unless you hacki-sacked it to some less dangerous angle of impact and just ended up scratching the hell out of it - mine stays in it's holster all the time - the only person enjoying the large screen and video capabilities is the little tykes.
Ugly! :O
It's still not as Kewl as the Rotary Cell Phone from Sparkfun.com
Zach Morris would be proud.
Yep yep, totally calling Kelly up to meet up at The Max...
I love lamp
You could knock someone out with that, like they used to with the old motorola's.
ooh! Right, that adds another option to cram into that big brick with a big freak'n battery:
A stun gun, and maybe also 2 taser darts! Aim the bottom at someone and BZZT!
Hm. That big... it should have:
1) a solid state HD for holding a crapload of data
2) bluetooth, including both DUN and PAN support
3) definitely 3G (EVDO-A or HSDPA/HSUPA)
4) maybe wifi (both client and access point)
5) maybe bluetooth FTP and CIFS
Then you could use it as not just an MP3 player, but a router and file server for your PDA or laptop. And you might still have plenty of room for a ton of battery power.
it wouldnt really be retro then would it, i think its mainly for the people who cant be arsed with that sort of stuff in a phone, and who are in love with the brick. mp3 and camera are now just standard for phones anyway, so you cant really say well its not really retro. it standard for any type of phone. personally i'm tempted to go back to basics with phones. they're cramming so much into them these days and yet you cant really work everything in them that well. as soon as they've sussed all that in a small package (smaller than n95) then ill start going tech but for now, im over anything new thats coming out.
"someone was going to mug you and you were able to smash that big brick phone into the side of your muggers face"
i'd supposed you plan on having a hip holster for this phone too?
cause considering the bulk, the only way your carrying this brick is in it's own briefcase, hip holster, or purse.
simplifying phones and making them not so miniature is a good way to celebrate retro styling, not making them bulky, crappy included features(128mb?), and over priced.
You won't be mocking it if someone was going to mug you and you were able to smash that big brick phone into the side of your muggers face, and knock them out cold. You wont need a stun gun or a taser after that. You could even call the police afterwards.
whats the "thing" above the screen ? is it a light ? if yes then its sure very interesting !
whats the "thing" above the screen ? is it a light ? if yes then its sure very interesting !
its the speaker!
does this come with a retro brain tumor? Cause if not its not worth it. I want the whole experience.
bring down the price abit, cut some features maybe at the expense of shock/water proofing it, and with 30days battery life it would be a great backup for camping and stuff
I thought we were scared of getting burned by a little LG phone, albeit a coverup, still scared...and now we want to carry a massive battery now. Why not take the whole family with ya? Geez. LOL.
for that battery life alone, it's worth it. haha
what would be cool is if more phones were like the upstage.....just have a stylish slim phone with decent battery, but you can add on a battery pack/wallet that gets rid of the thin look, but doubles the battery life. so you get a pocketable phone, and can carry an on-the-go recharger (in a small backpack or a sweatshirt pocket) to give you that 72 hour talk time. the best of both worlds.
I never liked the brick phone style, still don't like it. Although they could extend the range of the phone with that size.
I understand retro concepts, but why did they have put that buggy whip of on antenna on it. It wasn't a great feature then, and isn't any better now.
I'm still holding out for the Bag-phone version!
@Grant
"I'd supposed you plan on having a hip holster for this phone too?
cause considering the bulk, the only way your carrying this brick is in it's own briefcase, hip holster, or purse".
I don't know about you grant, But in the days of the Motorola 8500/8800 which was almost double the length including the whip aerial I don't remember seeing much people on the streets putting them in their briefcase, hip holster, or purse. People had them in their hands.
Maybe a mugger/attacker then knew the jaw breaking potential and saw sense.
I saw devices like this around Beijing in October. I saw one running winCE in my neighborhood.