Most advances in technology are synonymous with increased costs and unclear effects on liability exposure.  However, that is not necessarily the case when it comes to home phone service.  Many of you may be paying for a traditional landline phone service that is actually costing you a lot more than the more cutting-edge option:  VoIP digital phone service. Voice-Over Internet Protocol, or “VoIP” phone service, is exactly what it sounds like:  using your internet to make phone calls.  For the most basic VoIP service, you will pay under ten dollars every month!  This super-low rate…

It may not have been their intention, but it’s definitely a clear indicator. By purchasing Ericsson’s half of the phone deal and announcing plans to move towards a smartphone-only model, Sony has unofficially declared the death of feature phones. It’s a trend that is likely to continue to hit other manufacturers. Sony’s president and CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, said it simply, “We’re phasing out feature phones.” Who’s next?…

I’m not trying to say the folks at the Hasso-Plattner Institute are crazy, but guys: the folks at the Hasso-Plattner Institute are crazy. Introducing the Imaginary Phone – an exercise in how to take interaction design to its (il)logical conclusion. Using a large depth camera mounted on an arm, the system can read your palm – or, rather, read your opposite hand’s motions across said palm, as you swipe, tap and gesture as if it were your real phone (which is meanwhile in your pocket or something). Why would you want to play Angry Birds while your phone is still in your pocket? Honestly, your guess is as…

This would be so rad, if I didn’t mind looking like a total chimney. Before you is the ‘world’s smallest’ cellphone jammer – disguised as a package of cigarettes. Surely you’re not into sitting on the bus, listening to someone yammering on in a language you don’t understand, at a volume you can’t tolerate, to a person you wouldn’t imagine is having an awfully fun time receiving the ear-splitting racket spewed into the phone by the offending mouth. So why not silence it? This thing jams (most) frequencies within a 32-foot radius, including 3G – probably enough to kill all insufferable talky-talky…

No one can ever say Sharp didn’t make unique phones. Actually, ‘unique’ may be a bit of an understatement in this case, as these here two devices what I’m about to fill your eyes with are possibly more at home filed under ‘absolutely ridiculous’. Y’all ready for this? First out of the woodwork is the TOUCH WOOD. I’m not even making this up, this is a thing. The TOUCH WOOD. The Sharp TOUCH WOOD. I have a real hunch that released Stateside, we would see a zealously over-tasteful name change. Sadly, though, we won’t – the TOUCH WOOD is a Japan-only release, and will see 15,000 units distributed through Japan’s…

I was going to ask you if you enjoy rad things, but I know you. You’re a tech blog-surfing, web-savvy, geek-chic internet all-star. I don’t need to ask stupid questions. Let’s just move on. Speaking of things which identify as rad, check this out. Or, like, don’t, whatever, but your Thursday will be less rad if you don’t rad it up with this. Designer Ivan Mavrovic doesn’t dick around when it comes to steampunking anything and everything in his world. Frankly, as far as steampunk artists go, he’s possibly one of the most adept I’ve ever seen, the list of reasons including but not limited to the fact that…

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s just an old hair dryer that has been turned into a phone booth. A group of Danish students in the Interaction Design Program at The Danish Design School turned an old hair dryer into a mobile phone booth. The concept is to allow people to have a private phone conversation in public. The hairdryer is used as a headpiece that has some arduino circuits put into it and an old office chair to sit in. The user simply sits in the chair and put their head under the dryer part and then type in the number that they want to call on the dial pad. There is a microphone inside of the headpiece…