If you want to have a truly unique phone that none of your friends have, this is it. It's retro-cool, and you can make the rotary dial phone in just a few steps.

I don't know if they are easy steps, but they are steps.

After she went viral with her idea last year, so many people have asked engineering student Justine Haupt to make them a rotary cellphone, that she has started selling do-it-yourself kits online.

If we decide to take on the task, Justine said we'll need to find the right rotary dial and "order a handful of other bits," but the hard part is available for sale from her new robotics company skysedge.us.  The "hard part" would be the mainboard and the 3D printed casing with threaded inserts and buttons.  It sounds daunting for those of us with minds that would rather read, cook, or watch movies to pass the time, but tinkerers will love this.  And they'll end up with a phone that makes everyone around them do a double-take.

Justine came up with the idea to make a rotary cell phone because she dislikes texting, and wanted an excuse not to do it.  Texting may not be an option, but this cellphone would be a great way to make use of your grandma's old olive green phone that's sitting in the attic gathering dust.  And it really works.  Justine says the reception is great, the battery lasts 24 hours, and she even has a dedicated button for her husband that allows her to speed-dial him.  Sort of.

The build video is HERE.

And all the info directly from Justine Haupt is HERE.

If you don't feel like engineering your own rotary cellphone, Justine will start selling pre-built versions in the spring of 2021.  It's a smartphone on a whole new level.

Some people are super smart, forward-thinking, and retro-cool at the same time.  I'm always inspired by those folks, so I'll keep those stories coming in 2021.  And if you find them, send them to me so I can pass them along.  Nice work, Justine!

SEE: 30 Toys That Defined the '70s

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