Nostalgic for the good old days of the simple mobile phone ? So is Lëkki.

roxannevarza

Monday, November 29th, 2010

If you were one of those people that watched the iPhone4 v. HTC Evo Xtranormal videos made by Brian Maupin and caught yourself thinking that today’s mobile phones are just downright overcomplicated, you’re definitely going to like Lëkki. The brand new Paris-based startup launched in September is looking to bring back the good old simple portable phones of the 1990s – but in an environmentally friendly and stylish way.

Forget Facebook, Foursquare, email and all those other time-consuming applications out there. If you don’t want to spend your life on your phone (which also happens to be a clock-camera-calculator-garage door opener-microwave-in-one), Lëkki’s “Back to Basics” approach offers telephones that make calls and send texts – and do absolutely nothing more.

The company mixes simple communication with sustainable development by retouching used phones with a hint of crazy color. Users can buy their phones in neon green, yellow, magenta and black – or even mix and match several colors with the “Make Your Own” option on the site.

The first 1990s phone to be sold via Lekki is the famous Motorola StarTAC 130 from 1998 (photo), which is priced at €139 for a single color or €159 for up to 4 colors. But €139 may seem like quite a bit to pay for a telephone that, quite frankly, doesn’t really do a heck of a lot. Maxime Chanson, the company’s Cofounder, says the price may seem high but is explained by several aspects. First, this particular Motorola is apparently rather sought after, which naturally raises its value. In addition, the company does repair and retouch all the phones it receives, making it slightly more than a simple second-hand reseller. And finally, even though Lekki’s activity is alreay rather eco-friendly, the company also donates €6 per telephone sold to Action Carbone, in order to fight global warming and keep carbon neutral.

Lekki plans to ad a new vintage model to its collection every 2 months. The next telephone, a Nokia, will be available in the same colors starting December 15th and a Sony Ericsson will most likely follow in January. All the phones are compatible with current sim cards (except for Bouygues Telecom and its MVNO network) and some 80% of the company’s orders are currently coming from outside of France.

So for anyone who is a retro geek thats stuck in the age of the Gameboy or simply trying to combat an Angry Birds addiction, a sexy Motorola StarTAC in bright green could just do the trick.

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  • http://jetlib.com/news/2010/11/29/nothing-says-%e2%80%9ci%e2%80%99m-stuck-in-the-1990s%e2%80%9d-like-lekki%e2%80%99s-motorola-startac-in-hot-pink/ Nothing Says “I’m Stuck in the 1990s” Like Lëkki’s Motorola StarTAC in Hot Pink | JetLib News

    [...] Read the rest of this entry » [...]

  • http://www.side-line.com bernard

    thanks but no :)

    • SecrDig

      http://www.SecrDig.com/
      Here you can say your secret out,

      secrets will be automatically announced to Twitter,

      but they are anonymous…xD

  • matt

    could swear these phones were all analog

    • tatsuke2

      Digital in Europe, analog in the US.

  • greg03

    I think it became obvious by now that mobile phone is the all-in-one device which can have all the functionality we need. Making phones dumber is not the way we shold go or think.

  • Kelly S

    It seems for every technological innovation, there is a niche market for retro devices. It could be that some just aren’t comfortable with the new devices, or for some that the devices are just to much to learn, (e.g. elderly, mentally challenged) just for an idea. This could be a small niche market for these people, although it seems as if Jitterbug has already curbed most of the business for easily accessible, simple, and no-frills devices. Really, its anybodies guess if this company will do alright, I have doubted start-ups before that made absolutely no sense, but in retrospect, I was the one that didn’t get it.

  • Morgan

    I was awash in bank apps and other stuff until I realized most things had a simpler and faster SMS interface for what I really wanted to find out.

    But GPS stuff is sort of irreplaceable anymore for me so there’s not a lot a StarTAC could do for me.

    My thought has often been, for retro devices, to just refurbish and remanufacture them into bluetooth speakerphones. Get the visual without all the negatives.

  • dotnetjet

    Kanye is pleased to hear this news, nobody else cares…

  • DemonFish

    Personally speaking, I am getting to the stage where I could happily have two devices again – one for web, one for phone. But I can guarantee you that nothing…NOTHING…could ever persuade me to buy a StarTac. A frikking aerial – are you kidding me?
    I’d happily have my Nokia 8210 back

  • Kelly S

    Honestly, the 8210 is cool, but I love my E71X.

  • http://tynybyte.wordpress.com Daniel

    God, this is such a fucking sham!! “Oh, um, this is sought after…. and uh, oh yeah! We fix these colors on them! ANNND, uh, 6 WHOLE dollars go to helping fight global warming. Add those together and presto you get 183 US Dollars. You see!”

  • shawn

    this is awesome! I loved those old phones, there was something about them that just seemed to ‘work’. nice rubbery buttons too

  • http://prepaidmvno.com/2010/11/29/nostalgic-for-the-good-old-days-of-the-simple-mobile-phone-so-is-lekki-techcrunch/ Nostalgic for the good old days of the simple mobile phone ? So is Lëkki. ::TechCrunch « Prepaid MVNO

    [...] via Nostalgic for the good old days of the simple mobile phone ? So is Lëkki.. [...]

  • haya

    This is just a scam to make money and cover it up by donating $6 to a cause. I can’t imagine this business ever becoming successful.

  • http://www.prepaidmvno.com/2010/11/29/nostalgic-for-the-good-old-days-of-the-simple-mobile-phone-so-is-lekki-techcrunch/ Nostalgic for the good old days of the simple mobile phone ? So is Lëkki. ::TechCrunch Prepaid MVNO

    [...] via Nostalgic for the good old days of the simple mobile phone ? So is Lëkki.. [...]

  • Admin

    So is Lëkki? I don’t think so
    http://www.globalwii.com

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