August 11, 2006 @ 11:39AM - posted by Ben Kuchera

My new favorite expensive toy: the $500 rotary phone

Today may be odd gadget day here at Opposable Thumbs, and in terms of toys it doesn't get any weirder than this. You're looking at a $500 rotary phone that is designed to work as a cell phone; you enter your SIM card and off you go. You can finally carry around your very own old-style rotary phone and take calls anywhere you'd like. I though it was a cute gimmick, and I'd love to have one of these on my desk as a conversation piece, but the price tag is a little exorbitant for what is basically a geeky toy.

Still, it would be great to sit in a public place and take calls on a phone that looks like this. Better yet, have a rotary phone that's not plugged into anything begin ringing and flummoxing those around you. If you have a lot of money and would like a rotary phone that's portable, buy one and let us know what you did with it.

What's fascinating is that someone out there thinks people will pay $500 for a portable rotary phone, and they're probably right. If you want something that's too expensive and doesn't do much other than take calls on the go and be bulky, this is your product.