iRetrofone goes steampunk

We've posted about the great iRetrofone handset base for the iPhone before -- it's really just a block of resin, but having an actual handset hooked up to your iPhone around the house makes for some pretty nostalgic phone calls. The iRetrophone's creator Scott Freeland said he would be hard at work on new designs, and now he's gone a little Steampunk with the latest one, as you can see above courtesy of iPhone Savior.

It's designed specifically for the iPhone 4, and has both an audio hookup and a USB connection ready to go -- just plug your iPhone into the base and start calling. It's not quite as nostalgic as the old handset, of course, but I like the steampunk aesthetic. And for $450 plus $25 shipping, you better like it. Still, as an art piece (the whole thing is actually cast in copper, rather than just the resin of the first one), it's a pretty unique piece of tech.

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Source: http://www.iphonesavior.com/2010/07/iretrofone-dock-goes-all…

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We've posted about the great iRetrofone handset base for the iPhone before -- it's really just a block of resin, but having an actual...

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Jeff Harris

It looks like cast plastic.

In a word: Cheesy.

@Al... those are phillips head screws.

July 10 2010 at 1:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

I don't think this follows the steampunk ethos very well. It's poorly designed with no attention to detail. At first glance it seems ok but the oddly placed gears and support bars don't hang together very well, and crosshead screws do not belong in any steampunk design!
And as Wrath above, copper and a black handset do not work together.
And are you sure it's cast copper? This is surely copper alloy - a very different material from pure copper.
This product is very expensive for something that has so many design flaws.

July 10 2010 at 9:59 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Wrath

$450?? With no actual moving gears as part of the base design and an entirely different era handset that completely doesn't match the attempted steampunk theme?! I am hoping the melted down copper price substantiates the cost, otherwise, I'm thinking steampunk fail. That photo makes it looks like a plastic toy base with a real telephone handset - it doesn't blend.

July 09 2010 at 5:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

maxats

I liked the models that were inspired by real phones of old... but the flames version before, and especially this one, is getting silly...

July 09 2010 at 4:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Buzz

Tell me it comes with the ancient (in iPhone years, a lifetime) app, "Rotary Dialer" included.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rotary-dialer/id284926166?mt=8

July 09 2010 at 4:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Vishwas

i agree with you that its a unique piece of technology, clean design. With all the antenna and signal issues that iphone 4 is having I think this is the best design ever so that you dont need to hold your iphone 4 with death grip ;)

July 09 2010 at 4:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply