POW! Telephones to make you Gaga

In the age of 4th gen iPhones and fancy ringtones, the good old-fashioned landline hardly gets a look-in.

Last Tuesday April 24 marked the 134th anniversary of the day that Alexander Graham Bell made telegrams passé and put carrier pigeons out of business. To celebrate National Telephone Day (albeit a week later), we’ve got the hook-up on some stylish gadgets that will definitely ring your bell.

Maya ECO
Award winning company Magicbox recently released the Maya ECO*, proclaimed as one of the most energy efficient phones on the market. That’s right, mamas — catching up for a gossip is not only good for your system, now it’s planet-friendly too. The digital, cordless phone is made out of 100% recycled plastic, features toxin-free display and key pad, 10.5 hour battery and recyclable packaging.

The Maya ECO is about as green as a phone can get without actually building your own walkie-talkie out of cardboard. And thanks to its reduced emissions, it feels much safer for the kids to use on their seemingly endless talks with grandma in Nigeria or nana in France. At £29.99 it’s also light on your wallet. Available at www.marksandspencer.com

Torque (main pic)
For a bit more pizazz, we fancy the Magicbox Torque*. This cordless phone comes complete with touchscreen, answering machine and dish-style dock. We’ve spent hours playing with our sample, stroking it like a Bond baddie every time it purrs. Here, kitty kitty.

The Torque is loaded with features including 100 name/number phonebook, 300m outdoor range, 20 polyphonic ringtones devised by some dude named Gustav (a renowned German composer) and sexy mood lighting to indicate incoming calls and messages. At £79.99, Torque ain’t cheap but it sure is pretty. Available at www.johnlewis.com

Native Union POP Phone

Also known as Moshi Moshi (Japanese for ‘hello’), this fun gadget is both a communication tool and a conversation piece. The soft-touch retro handset can be plugged into any mobile phone (some need an adapter) to give it a ‘landline’ feel. You can also plug it into your PC or iPad for Skype calls. The Native Union POP** phone comes in a variety of hot colours, including a bling-tastic gold.

What’s extra dandy is that using the POP phone reduces radiation exposure by up to 96%. So there’s less worry about that burning sensation on your ears after a long call. I love having Skype conversations on my iPad with the POP phone – it’s comfy to cradle, the audio’s clearer and calls are more private. Especially useful when you have a toddler who likes to chip in on professional Skype chats! £24.99 at www.currys.co.uk

*sample loan, **free review sample