Smartphones are bad for you. We need to go back to the good old rotary phones! Earlier this year, Justine Haupt revealed a custom cellphone she built that eschewed unwanted battery-killing distractions like a touchscreen. In its place was an old-school rotary dial for placing calls, and while it looked antiquated, there were apparently enough people as fed up with the state of modern smartphones that Haupt has created a new version that she will actually build and sell. Haupt’s original rotary cellphone was created with an open source design that allowed anyone to build their own, with firmware, build notes, and even the 3D models for printing the custom housing made available for download on their website. To make the build easier, Haupt created a starter kit offering the 3D printed housing for $50 (straight out of the 3D printer) as well as the cellphone’s mainboard for $90. But there were still lots of additional components that needed to be sourced to complete the build, including the dial that Haupt salvaged from a slim Western Trimline telephone. Realizing the appeal of a distraction-free cellphone that excels at actually making calls (just look at the size of that antenna) extends well beyond hardware hackers and tinkerers, Haupt is currently developing a “mark 2" version of the design that will be available as a ready-built device for those who don’t know the first thing about soldering. In addition to an upgrade from 3G to 4G which ensures the right networks will be active for at least another 10 years, the new version will include a larger electronic paper display, newly manufactured rotary dial parts instead of old salvaged hardware, and an SD card slot allowing a contact list to be added by just uploading a text file full of names and numbers. Haupt is also teasing, “another VERY cool feature but won’t announce it until I’m sure I can do it” for their new rotary cellphone which remains a complete mystery for the time being. But a listing for the device on the website for Haupt’s new robotics company called Sky’s Edge claims it could be available as early as September. You can’t pre-order it yet, and it’s safe to assume the pandemic will probably result in some minor delays, but if you’re interested you can subscribe to updates on the project’s development, and notifications for when it’s finally available.

Rumor: Leaked images may show redesigned Leather Loop for Apple Watch Apple could be planning a redesign for the Apple Watch Leather Loop. A tipster shared a variety of images of a new Apple Watch Leather Loop with 9to5Mac earlier this month, and now similar images have surfaced on Reddit. The tipster who reached out to 9to5Mac indicated that the new Apple Watch Leather Loop could be unveiled as soon as next month. Apple just unveiled new Apple Watch bands in celebration of Pride Month, and further announcements for the summer and WWDC 2020 are not out of the question. Apple currently sells the Leather Loop for Apple Watch in four different colors: peacock, Meyer lemon, saddle brown, and black. The Leather Loop costs $99 and is available in medium and large sizes. Following the images we received earlier this month, a new set of images has surfaced on Reddit today, also claiming to show the new Apple Watch Leather Loop as well.

You know what? The Anti-5G USB Stick Is a Scam A lot of bullshit has been circulating about 5G lately, specifically as it relates to the novel coronavirus. To be very clear: There is no evidence that the rollout of 5G is at all connected to the origin or spread of covid-19. But that hasn’t stopped dozens of attacks on cell towers, the proliferation of cockamamie conspiracy theories, and, of course, hucksters peddling bogus anti-5G products to the scared masses. The 5G BioShield USB Key is the latest dumb device to make headlines. On its website, it’s described as creating a “wearable holographic nano-layer catalyzer” that can be used for the “balance and harmonization of the harmful effects of imbalanced electric radiation.” Basically, the device creates a holographic bubble that somehow protects you from the scary 5G waves for a bafflingly varied range of 8 to 40 meters. It is, in fact, a regular old 128MB USB stick with vaguely sci-fi words slapped onto it for marketing. Pen Test Partners, a UK-based security firm, wrote a tear-down blog of the device—as you’d expect, the stick’s supposed “quantum holographic catalyzer technology” transmitter was nothing more than a sticker. No other electronic components were found. The most disturbing thing about the USB stick—besides the fact it costs £300, or roughly $350—is that it’s been recommended by the Glastonbury Town Council’s 5G Advisory Committee, which has called for an inquiry into 5G tech, according to the BBC. You can find the recommendation and a link to this bogus device on page 30 of the committee’s final report. The report is also full of spurious 5G claims, saying that birds may fall “out of the sky dead when 5G is on” and that people could get nose bleeds or commit suicide at higher rates. (Snopes has debunked the 5G bird deaths, while health fears over 5G radiation are also unfounded.) Equally disturbing, the BBC found that the founders of BioShield Distribution show that they were previously involved in a dubious business called Immortalis that hocked a dietary supplement featuring a “proprietary procedure that leads to relativistic time dilation and biological quantum entanglement at the DNA level.” Enough said. But the anti-5G USB stick isn’t the only bogus product out there. On Amazon, you’ll find an assortment of 5G underpants. Entering “5G protection” into Amazon’s search bar will net you 9,000 results with products ranging from pills, stickers, phone cases, hats, and crystal bracelets. Querying “5G shield” will get you roughly 1,000 results, including a ridiculous maternity belly band that supposedly protects an unborn fetus from the ‘dangers’ of 5G. Is it surprising that Amazon hasn’t cracked down on these products? No. But it goes without saying that they should. So in light of the charlatans capitalizing on 5G-related coronavirus hoaxes, it bears repeating that 5G frequencies don’t present a greater risk than other types of electromagnetic radiation. These bogus anti-5G products are at best expensive placebos, and according to the New York Times, your skin is actually a pretty good barrier against higher-frequency radio waves, including 5G. So, no, no one is catching covid-19 from 5G cell towers. And those brain worms you got? It’s more likely you picked them up from Twitter.