Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Anyone Want A Retro Mobile?
By James Grahame
Lëkki is a French company specializing in "revamped" mobile phones from the 1990s, reinvigorated with bright new paint jobs.
They argue that "an an excess of push e-mail and applications have made us slaves to technology in our everyday lives." The solution? You should adopt a €139 ($200) refurbished Motorola StarTAC that allows nothing but voice and text. In the process, you'll help out the planet by putting a geriatric handset back into service.
Their phone of choice is the StarTAC 130, a popular GSM 900 model introduced in 1998. It weighs 95g and features a retractable bendy antenna that's sure to earn its share of stares from your iPod wielding compatriots. These handsets don't support the GSM 850/1900 bands required in the USA and Canada, so only European trendsetters need apply.
My thoughts? Lëkki gets an A+ for marketing. It's only a matter of time before someone on this side of the Atlantic does the same thing. In fact, I might just drop by the local hardware store for a few cans of spray paint. I'm sure there are lots of StarTACs and chunky Nokia 5190s on fleaBay these days for under $5...
