Most people shop for a cellphone, considerations like aesthetics, size and features usually top the list. For most, the sleeker, the smaller and the more fully loaded the phone, the better.But when Eugene Auh went trawling at eBay for a cheap cellphone last month, he searched for one with a decidedly anachronistic bent.‘‘I wanted the biggest cellphone I could find,’’ said Auh, a 27-year-old investment manager in Philadelphia. His winning bid of $25.95 bought a Motorola DynaTac, a 1980’s-era ‘‘brick’’ cellphone that fits more comfortably in a backpack than in a suit pocket.Rather than subtracting from its charm, the phone’s cumbersome size — it is roughly eight by two by three inches — is its main attraction, Auh said. Indeed, he plans to take the phone to work, to the gym and even to his nighttime haunts. ‘‘Imagine this: I’ll walk into a bar and ask for a girl’s number, then break out my phone,’’ he said. ‘‘How could you say no to that?’’ While his attraction to digital relics may seem unusual, Auh is part of what appears to be a growing group of 20-somethings embracing yesterday’s designs.These fans of retro technology are using ingenuity to find or fashion the perfect cellphones, gaming systems and computer cases — in effect ushering back a time they experienced only barely, if at all.Take Ali Rahimi, 28, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Rahimi became so fed up last year with what he called the ‘‘impersonal, unthinking’’ nature of modern communication that he attached an old-fashioned handset to his cellphone. The result was a cellphone-handset whose receiver restored the deliberate nature of communication, he said.‘‘When you’re talking to your grandma on an old-style handset, you’re very aware of its presence,’’ Rahimi said. ‘‘The handset has been going through about a hundred years of evolution in design and, pretty much for what they do, they have the perfect shape”. The popularity of retro technology simply reflects, in part, how sophisticated modern technology has become, said Steven Lubar, a Brown University professor of American civilisation who specialises in the history of technology. When the available technology converges at a certain performance threshold, Dr. Lubar said, consumers begin to base their choices on nontechnical considerations like fashion to express their identity. Thus the appeal of retro gadgets. For those who prefer vintage technology, a major drawback is the hassle of dealing with technology that is, well, vintage. Auh, meanwhile, is holding off on his romantic overtures until he finds a service provider that can support his antiquated cellphone. But once he does, the women of Philadelphia will need to act quickly, Auh warned. ‘‘This cellphone only stores nine numbers, ladies,’’ he said, ‘‘so it’s first come, first served.’’ —(NYT)
