If you're looking to combine retro-tech with new-age capabilities, look no further than this innovative idea. (Fellow Long Islander) Justine Haupt is someone who wants to carry a cell phone but make calls with it. Nothing more. So, she built her own. That uses a rotary dialer. And it does nothing else.
This short YouTube video has all the details.
Haupt 3D printed the casing and built the entire system herself. Even better than seeing this in action is the fact that she is selling these as a kit! Her website Sky's Edge describes it as the Rotary Un-Smartphone Kit.
The Rotary Un-Smartphone is a follow-up to this personal project. It's a production-ready ground-up design with all new parts (yes, the rotary dial too) and many neat bells and whistles.
She has added an eInk display to the rear in order to have some form of text output and a very basic text messaging system. But, in the end, it's a phone that does one main thing: make calls. This looks super cool and she's offering it in five colors. The kit runs $390, but it's a 7-month wait to get the kit once ordered. Either way, this is a super-cool piece of new retro-tech.