NYT: The Rise Of Retro Tech

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/09/technology/circuits/09retr.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=de562c58f2ad08c1&ex=1252468800&partner=rssnyt' target='_blank'>http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/09/t...&partner=rssnyt</a><br /><br /></div><i>"WHEN most people shop for a cellphone, considerations like aesthetics, size and features usually top the list. For most, the sleeker, the smaller and the more fully loaded the phone, the better. But when Eugene Auh went trawling at eBay for a cheap cellphone last month, he searched for one with a decidedly anachronistic bent."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20040910-NYTRetro.jpg" /><br /><br />To be nostalgic is human, I guess, and this article takes a humorous look at past technology and how people miss it to the point of either reusing it or housing newer tech in classic cases. I still remember the Timex Sinclair we played briefly with at home, and I'm still very fond of my memories of the C64, on which I spent many an hour playing and programming (well, and fixing others' C64s and 1541s, for that matter). That said, I'm not going back to those ancient analog phone bricks. ;) How about you? How far back did your gadgets go, and have you resurrected or dusted off any of them?

[foldedspace]

What provider can you use that thing for? I'm guessing you can't wedge a SIM card in the back....

[Janak Parekh]

What provider can you use that thing for? I'm guessing you can't wedge a SIM card in the back....
Presumably one of the few providers that still offer analog. I think Verizon, AT&T, and Cingular still do, in many areas. Not for much longer, though...

--janak

[Kati Compton]

Well, my husband and I used to hold Atari 2600 parties, and last weekend we went to an annual C64 convention that we've been attending regularly for a number of years, which a number of our friends also go to. It's a nice way to see out-of-town friends on a regular basis (Minnesota, New Mexico, Mexico, Canada, Sweden, etc).

[dean_shan]

I still have my (OK my brother's) NES, fun to take it out and spend five minutes to get old Donkey Kong working.

[Jon Westfall]

We still have a motorola bag phone sitting in the closet over here... ;)

[szamot]

not as old as some of the toys mentioned here but I still have Two, yes count them Two, Palm Professional. One for the right pocket one for the left. It changed my life forever. :wink:

[rhmorrison]

I still have my NEC PC-8201A (http://www.computercloset.org/NECPC8201A.htm) laptop that I used intesively from 1983 - 1987.
Every now and then I find something useful to do with it.

[that_kid]

Well I still have my atari 2600 that I play from time to time, I even have the atari emu on my ppc along with 500 or so roms. I'd have to say the oldest thing I still use would be my Heathkit, Hallicrafters & Hamurlund amatur radio gear. Some of the equipment I use is dated back to the 50's and while it is old, it works great and you'd have to pay in the thousands of dollars to get a new radio that has a reciever and transmitter as good as these rigs. Now of course in my car I can't fit something as big as those radios(which are about the size of a carry on bag) so I have something newer in there. Oh I also still buy records, ya know that black vinyl stuff http://1000smilies.com/babies/lp.gif

[Hx4700]

I have several Atari-800 consoles boxed up with a ton of accessories including two 80-column cards (a big WOW back then).
And lots of games on 5-1/4 inch floppys (single-sided, no less)! Anyone remember filpping them over and notching them with a single hole punch to use both sides?? We called them "Kerrys" back them - uh no, make that "flippies" ;)
Ron...

[that_kid]

Anyone remember filpping them over and notching them with a single hole punch to use both sides??

Now that takes me back, I still have my 5 1/4 notcher.

[Paragon]

This thread shows a picture of my first cell phone compared to my XDA. :)


http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10162&highlight=

[arnage2]

my dad still has one of those 1980's brick cell phones (pictured on teh front of this thread). I was thinking of bringing it to school and sayind "hey, look at my kickass new phone."

(which would be a big change from my heavily modified nextel i730le)

[mobileMike]

A friend of mine took the connector from a modern wired hands-free headset and attached it to the the handset from a military field phone which looks like a traditional 1970s phone handset.

The handset has a simple hook on the top which works well when hooked on a belt loop. The handset also has 2 existing buttons, one he wired to answer and hang-up the phone.

It looks really cool when he plugs it onto his small mobile phone. All you see is this retro coiled cable coming from his pocket and this traditional handset attached to his belt. He even changed his ringtone to sound like an old phone.

- mike

[Mark_Venture]

We still have a motorola bag phone sitting in the closet over here... ;) I just threw out my analog audiovox bag phone while moving a couple months ago. While it powered on still, I hadn't used it since switching to TDMA.

Threw out the Atari 2600 and cartridges when my parents sold their home and moved last Xmas. It still worked.

I still have my old Kaypro II '83 in the closet, along with books and software. It comes out once in a while. It still works. :) Not sure what a Kaypro II is? see... http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/kaypro/ and http://oldcomputers.net/kayproii.html