Various phones that flip, twist, slide and fold

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Will2LiveFading@reddit

I can't figure out what the function of this one is. What am I looking at here?

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NewZJ@reddit

https://gizmodo.com/panasonics-flip-out-phone-8888

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detourne@reddit

MeMobile on YouTube has a whole series of videos called 'When Phones Were Fun" where he goes into a deep dive on specific phones and all the fun designs or featyres they had.

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Haemwich@reddit

T9 slabs with slide out full keyboards were the peak of phone design imo.

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lemonheadlock@reddit

My friend had a sidekick back in 02 or 03 and I thought it was the most futuristic piece of technology I'd ever seen. I was so jealous! And then it was obsolete less than 5 years later.

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I got a sidekick 2 in 2004 and that was hands down my favorite phone I’ve ever had. Not only was it multifunctional, but there was a community around it. Especially within the mid 00s emo/pop punk/punk scene. Everyone got a special tmail email address and you had AOL IM on it.

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oldmamallama@reddit

I still miss my LG Chocolate. It was just so cute.

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SaltyAir-StarrySkies@reddit

Raise your hand if you had a pink Motorola RAZR 🙋🏼‍♀️

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bcentsale@reddit

I miss flip phones. I had a Nokia 61(31?) circa 2006 that was spring loaded with a button at the hinge, and answering it felt like flipping open a communicator on Star Trek.

I miss non smartphones in general, and the fact that they only needed your attention when someone actually called or texted you. My wife refuses to disable any notifications at all, and her phone is constantly plinging away. Some nights I want to take a hammer to it.

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Spartan04@reddit

There was something that was so fun about answering the phone by flipping it open and then ending the call by just closing it.

I agree smartphones are something of a mixed bag. Having internet access all the time is nice and it also replaced multiple devices for me (I used to use a Palm PDA, an iPod, and a flip phone) but I hate how they've created this expectation that we all be reachable all the time. I remember in the days of AIM text conversations would have a definitive start and end point (because you'd have to go and either sign off or put up an away message). Now thanks to smartphones that's no longer the case.

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pixeequeen84@reddit

I know a guy who has serious ADHD and he refuses to own a smartphone because he knows it would distract him too much. Dude is actually smart that way. He carries a flip phone so his wife can call him

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bcentsale@reddit

I can vouch for the ADHD thing. I'm perfectly capable of finding my own distractions without needing some external source. I actually used a flip phone through late 2018 when it became just too much trouble to track down what I wanted any more. I have the absolute minimum number of apps that I can, every notification besides ring and text is off, and it hoes into do not disturb mode from 9pm to 6am.

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the_well_read_neck_@reddit

It was fun when phones were unique and not the same box. The only notifications on my phone are calls, text, my HotSchedules for work, and direct deposit on my bank app. Everything else is off, and I love it. Half the time I have my phone in Do Not Disturb.

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bcentsale@reddit

Same.

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Ghosts_of_the_maze@reddit

Let me tell you something: The first one of Apple or Samsung to bring back physical keyboards are going to earn trillions every year. I want the modern tech that comes with a phone but good God do I want actual buttons again.

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Mo-Cance@reddit

It's a real shame that BlackBerry screwed the pooch so hard.

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Equal_Imagination300@reddit

Ahh the good old days. 3 -5 days battery life and you could literally drop them from the roof with barely a scratch.

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lifegoodis@reddit

That first one, the Ericcson, was my very first mobile phone.

Ah, the joys of building my custom ringtones one 16th note at a time.

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jenny-thatsnotmyname@reddit

The 4th one was my first. I loved that thing and my MIDI ringtone of Linkin Park’s “Crawling”

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Endryu727@reddit

Crazy how industries start off with unique designs and features then quickly become the same stale product once the corporations shift to prioritizing profit. It’s like corporate America sucks the soul out of everything.

Don’t believe me? Look at the car industry. You can see the craftsmanship in older vehicles versus today when everyone drives the same car basically

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roncopenhaver13@reddit

I had the Sony S710A. It always felt unique

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fire_lord_akira@reddit

The golden age of cell phone design. I loved my Blackberry and Motorola razor phones. Everything is so boring now and really all the same, even if they "fold-to-close". It's funny that Apple had that "1984"-themed commercial. The choices are Android or Apple and they're pretty much the exact same thing

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No_Cow_4544@reddit

I had a Samsung with a slide out keyboard around 2007 and thought I was the shit

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FollowingNo4648@reddit

I worked for Tmobile from 2002-2012. It was a wild era to go from those tiny Nokias that last forever to these giant screen smartphones. I remember when the cameras were a separate attachment to the phone when they first came out. The quality was so shitty too. Everyone thought the RAZR was so badass, but functionally, it was complete garbage.

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General_Addendum_883@reddit

I loved my Helio Kickflip, it was just so much fun. after that, I had the Helio Ocean 2, which had 2 sliding modes. slide one side up for a number pad, or rotate 90 degrees and slide it open for a qwerty keyboard.

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wiserTyou@reddit

Samsung SGH-A737 was my favorite phone. Small and bulletproof.

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Deadyard@reddit

I want a dumb phone again, but maybe with a good camera. Call, text, take pictures of my kids and pets, that's all.

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5ubatomix@reddit

Man Nokia made some BANGERS back in the day

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Sea-Divide-1994@reddit

I had Nokia 7110 it was really special

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No_Names78@reddit

Had that too, it was a great phone

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I_AM_DEATH-INCARNATE@reddit

My favorite wasn't there - the Samsung Alias opened both vertically and horizontally. Vertically it was a traditional flip phone, and horizontally it had a full qwerty keyboard.

The alias 2 solved the confusing button layout by using e-ink keys that changed what they displayed based on the layout

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DETRITUS_TROLL@reddit

I miss the full keyboard.

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Ghosts_of_the_maze@reddit

I still think about my old HTC with the full keyboard

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Jahaangle@reddit

The Nokia N97 had a glorious slide out keyboard, shame it was a terrible phone.

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blownout2657@reddit

The flip ones with a full keyboard were the best.

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Mudcreek47@reddit

The Razr was pretty much the peak of cell phone design IMO. Then less than 3 years after it debuted, the iPhone was released and it and everything like it was immediately obsolete.
Goddamn, I miss the old non-smart phones.

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Wiz_Hellrat@reddit

I cannot remember the brand. My boss brought it for me. He got tired of not being able to reach me. It was the phone you used as a walkie talkie. I worked in construction at the time. I loved the hell out of that phone. So easy just to go beep beep and speak. End the conversation with a good 10-4.

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zapsdiputs@reddit

There used to be art to things.