Most people’s introduction to the cell phone came from one of two shows: The X-Files, since Mulder and Scully were rolling in it anyway due to the unavoidable overtime an FBI agent puts in, and Saved By The Bell. Leaving aside the questionable quality of the latter show, it did feature a sociopath on a cell phone a lot of the time. And now, with ’90s nostalgia, that cell phone is back.
Called the Brick, to be fair, it at least has an actual function. It’s basically a Bluetooth speaker with a truly ridiculous backup battery attached, according to Gizmodo:
The Brick is a two-way device, meaning you can either pop your SIM card in it and use it as your regular cell, or you can connect to it via Bluetooth. The base model ($70) has a whole month of battery life and the bigger version ($100) has a whopping three months of juice. The retro device also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker. Also you can play Snake. Snake!
Oddly, believe it or not, the Brick might actually be genuinely useful. A quick poke around the website reveals it uses the stubby antenna to pick up FM radio, and it’s also got a flashlight built in. Combined with the cellular features and ridiculous battery life, that’s actually a pretty decent little backup device for your home or car. That said, it does use 2G, so in a few years, the Brick might live up to its name.
In other words, Saved By The Bell cosplayers might be the most well-prepared people at a comic-con when there’s an emergency with this thing. Hey, it’ll finally get them the respect they crave.