Phone speakers go back to the future

(Credit: Philips)

As mobile phones continue their evolution as uber-devices for music and everything else, they've struggled with such things as external speakers--with some particularly strange ideas surfacing along the way. But here's an interesting twist: Why not make a pair that resembles the speaking end of an old Ma Bell analog receiver?

That's our impression, anyway, of these new portable Philips speakers made for Nokia handsets. Gadgetizer says the mini-system, which comes in black or white, also has an FM radio built into the dock. All it needs is an old-fashioned dial for navigation. Of course, if you want to go even more retro, there's always a pair of tin cans.