Alert: Man designs VOIP phone that doesn't look like a 15-year old mobile

Nova Design's Tatung VOIP phone has bluetooth, "wireless," a neat flat keypad and nothing else whatsoever. Moreover, it is a real thing, allegedly, albeit just a prototype. Isn't it about time we had some sexy wireless Skypephones?

Of course, Nova is another industrial designer with a terrible, inaccessible, unlinkable flash site! To read more, just hit Yanko.

Design Page [Nova via Yanko]

[#1 posted by scaught , August 27, 2008 9:01 AM]

Why does that minimalist thing, when it come to gadgets, not include a screen? They're friggin useful.

[#2 posted by Enochrewt , August 27, 2008 9:07 AM]

Perfect example of a website that the safary can't view.

(all the web)-1=iPhone

Anyway, I had always wondered why these VoIP phones looked like old Nokia brick phones. IT would seem simple enough to just build them into headsets or something not-phonelike at all.

[#3 posted by Rob Beschizza , August 27, 2008 9:11 AM]

I often wonder if the design of domestic telephones (which includes VoIP, by and large) is really about the need for extremely long battery life, or if people just expect such things to be big and bulky, so that's how they make 'em.

[#4 posted by michaelportent , August 27, 2008 9:39 AM]

I think this design is really beautiful. Lack of screen would concern me from a VoIP standpoint though. Unless maybe you set up a list of hotkeys for dialing Skype contacts on the computer and transfer that info to the phone somehow.

[#5 posted by Rob Beschizza , August 27, 2008 10:33 AM]

I'm imagining Sony Walkman-style glowing numerals under the plastic, myself.

[#6 posted by dculberson , August 27, 2008 10:36 AM]

Rob, I think one reason they tend to be big and bulky is that it's just more comfortable to hold and use a large phone. The dainty mobile phone format is really clumsy to use; its only reason for being small is for portability. If the sole use for a phone is at home, why make it small? So it's intentionally hard to hold?

Give me a Model 500 desk phone handset over this any day.

[#7 posted by schmod , August 27, 2008 10:39 AM]

Why not include an e-paper screen that's the same color as the rest of the phone, a-la the MOTOFONE, which is a fantastic mobile, provided you just want to talk (and nothing else).

[#8 posted by pewma , August 27, 2008 10:51 AM]

Any word on it requiring a base station? I use skype for my voip calls but have not found a handset that doesn't require a base station. I'd like to be able to use my skype phone on any available wireless networks.

[#9 posted by Chris Furniss , August 27, 2008 11:51 AM]

It is a strange trend that industrial designers don't have linkable pages. There *is* a way to create linkable flash sites, but whoever they are hiring to do web design is either lazy or doesn't know the ability exists.

[#10 posted by Rob Beschizza , August 27, 2008 12:22 PM]

DCulberson, I wonder how long you'd get on a charge if you put a normal cellphone in a Model 500, with the rest of the space occupied by the battery.

Schmod, there is an e-paper phone (very thin, too) called the moto F3. It's something of a cause celebre among minimalist types.

[#11 posted by inkadinka12 , August 27, 2008 6:52 PM]

The lack of a screen creates a real problem for many users. If you want to use this at a location that requires agreeing with a terms-of-service agreement (e.g., airport, hotel, wifi hot spot), there is no way for you to agree. I had this problem with the first generation Skype handset devices (not sure if this is still a problem). Neat idea, but completely useless outside of my home. There was no way I could do the simple checking of an "OK I agree" box and get access to the network.

Beautiful design otherwise.

[#12 posted by sweetweb , August 27, 2008 10:41 PM]

First VOIP phne that doesn't look like crap. If you think this is a great or bad idea vote here: http://www.ratemyideas.com/story.php?title=Tatung_VOIP_Phone_by_Nova_Design