I'm getting one! Zach Morris Brick Phone Content| Off-Topic Discussion forum |

DukeOfUndersteer UltimaDork
9/13/12 4:42 p.m.

With all these threads abotu iPhones and Androids, I'm gonna go backwards in time and get me a Moterbola Brick phone! $49 gets you an unlocked GSM ready phone. So gonna rock it!

http://www.babikenshop.com/old-time-90s-style-antique-retro-brick-gsm-mobile-phone-xy968-p-554.html

Kenny_McCormic Reader
9/13/12 4:55 p.m.

4800mMh battery running a trac phone, expect to charge it monthly.

DukeOfUndersteer UltimaDork
9/13/12 4:58 p.m.

And it's exactly what I want again. My Android does too much, locks up and shuts down. And the battery only lasts about 8 hours. All I want is calls and texts. I could list two phones on my plan, have the Android for all the emails and pictures and my Zach Morris phone to look cool haha

nepa03focus New Reader
9/13/12 5:17 p.m.

Is the fanny pack to carry it In included or extra?

mndsm PowerDork
9/13/12 5:22 p.m.

LOL Motelona.

rebelgtp UltraDork
9/13/12 5:51 p.m.

nepa03focus wrote: Is the fanny pack to carry it In included or extra?

This model solves that problem

Anti-stance SuperDork
9/13/12 5:58 p.m.

In reply to DukeOfUndersteer:

That will fit nicely into your pocket.

Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
9/13/12 6:28 p.m.

I got one of those old-school handsets that you can plug into the standard headset jack. Lenny Kravitz approved!

GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
9/13/12 6:30 p.m.

That thing is lightyears ahead of the original Brick. The original had a 7-segment display so you could see what number you were dialing, this one's a feature phone with a GUI and a color LCD display.

Anti-stance SuperDork
9/13/12 7:25 p.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

That's pretty rad.

JohnRW1621 PowerDork
9/13/12 7:29 p.m.

In a lot of ways, I would like another StarTac. The best belt clip ever made for a phone and the easiest to wear.

The shame of it all is that no carrier can activate really old phones any more. The new rule states that all handsets must have GPS serviced, enhanced 911 to aid in locating you for emergency calls.

Equally humorous is that in the photo a BBerry represents "the modern phone."

fritzsch Reader
9/13/12 7:44 p.m.

In reply to JohnRW1621:

Woah what stupid new rule is this?

JohnRW1621 PowerDork
9/13/12 7:51 p.m.

E-911

E911 Phase 2
Wireless network operators must provide the latitude and longitude of callers within 300 meters, within six minutes of a request by a PSAP.[5]
Accuracy rates must meet FCC standards on average within any given participating PSAP service area by September 11, 2012 (deferred from September 11, 2008)

You can still have your old (non GPS) phone if you have service on it but if you quit service on that handset, the carrier can not re-activate it.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid UltraDork
9/13/12 7:57 p.m.

rebelgtp wrote:
nepa03focus wrote: Is the fanny pack to carry it In included or extra?
This model solves that problem

My uncle had one of these until recently. That thing got signal where ever he went.

I've seen some BMWs and Mercs on Craigslist that still have phones in them, can you get those to work again?

JohnRW1621 PowerDork
9/13/12 8:22 p.m.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: I've seen some BMWs and Mercs on Craigslist that still have phones in them, can you get those to work again?

As mentioned above, if the service on the BMW installed phone has been stopped, it can not be started again unless the handset is E-911 compliant via GPS.
Short answer, No.

That thing got service everywhere because it brodcasted back to the tower with 3 full watts of power. Handheld devices transmit at 0.6 watts. This reduction mostly has to do with how much power they feel safe to let you hold to your head.

failboat Dork
9/13/12 8:31 p.m.

oh im sure they will still hit you with a mandatory data plan that you cant use when you go to activate it.

its probably worth it though.

donalson PowerDork
9/14/12 3:59 a.m.

I would so rock one of those bricks... would go nicely in my yuppy volvo lol

racerfink Dork
9/14/12 8:08 a.m.

If I was gonna rock something of Zach's...

cdowd New Reader
9/14/12 8:10 a.m.

My dad bought one of the first brick phone in the early 80s. I think it was $2500 back then and cost aroung .50/minute to talk on.

Chris

N Sperlo PowerDork
9/14/12 8:26 a.m.

I thought it was cool to walk through my store yelling into speaker phone.

Adrian_Thompson SuperDork
9/14/12 8:51 a.m.

Me thinks we need to resurrect the hipster thread from last week. Forget the Wholefoods argument, what’s more Hipster than a late 80’s early 90’s brick phone.

4cylndrfury UltimaDork
9/14/12 8:55 a.m.

JohnRW1621 wrote: You can still have your old (non GPS) phone if you have service on it but if you quit service on that handset, the carrier can not re-activate it.

well, if its a GSM phone, and you have an active SIM CARD, so long as its digital (analog phones wont work on any network anymore IIRC), you can still use it.

N Sperlo PowerDork
9/14/12 9:24 a.m.

Won't work with 4G LTE, though.

failboat Dork
9/14/12 9:25 a.m.

Can it do voice navigation with a speak n spell voice?

(yeah yeah, theres probably an app for that)

4cylndrfury UltimaDork
9/14/12 9:49 a.m.

N Sperlo wrote: Won't work with 4G LTE, though.

chances are, if youre trying to avoid having a phone with GPS built in, youre not using a phone current enough to be capable of utilizing the benefits of 4G LTE anyway.