"Ouch! My Ear Hurts!"

My friend Kerrie posted this photo onto a popular social networking website.  It's a telephone in her Florida hotel room.

Her caption read "Anyone know how old your hotel room has to be to qualify for one [of] these antiques?"

My response was "I think that this model falls nicely under the category of retro!"

I might be in the minority when I say that in terms of design, I really haven't liked the evolution of the telephone.  Of course I enjoy and frequently take advantage of all the built-in technology.  A home-based entrepreneur such as myself would be lost without it.  However, I particularly dislike talking on a cell phone.  I find that the limited frequencies can really distort the human voice.  I also dislike all the background noises they pick-up.  What about the shapes?  They were at first really boxy, then they became more contoured for the face, then they became boxy and flat.  I have an old model flip phone.  I frequently get laughed at when I use it.  It may be "ancient" by our disposable society's standards, but at least it has the length and curves to hug my face better. 

Husband has a lot of problems using a keyboard and mouse as they are generally too small for his large hands.  Why are cell phones designed to ergonomically fit children?!

Call that phone above a clunker, but at least I could hold it naturally in my hand, cradle the handset to my head and ear and hear properly.  Sure, I can't walk around with it or put it on speaker.  But hey, I could probably fling this model across the room and it would probably survive the blow very well.  Can you say the same about a tiny, Asian, Star Trek type communicator with flimsy plastic parts?!

Home telephones are a little better.  Most of us have cordless models.  But if a black-out hits, we'd all better have a "land line" somewhere within groping distance!  I hear that the home telephone will soon be replaced with cell phones.  Hmm...I won't be jumping on that band wagon anytime soon!

There are some interesting retro style accessories to fit into modern cell phones.  This tells me that others are concerned about the lack of ergonomic thought put into these cool gadgets.

Technology is here to stay.  I'm on board, really!  I just wish that telephone companies could remember that size is important!

Carol