Tech founder Cat Goetze started a simple project. She wanted a traditional landline phone again. Modern smartphones demanded too much attention. She disliked the cost of a new line. A thrift store purchase sparked an idea.
She bought an old landline handset first. Then she hacked the device’s internal wiring. She added Bluetooth compatibility herself. This created a unique hybrid phone. It connected to her smartphone wirelessly.
Cat shared her creation online in July 2025. She expected only mild interest from followers. Hundreds of comments arrived within hours. People immediately wanted to buy one. She set up a small pre-order website.
Orders flooded the website immediately. Sales reached $120,000 in just three days. This equals roughly one crore Indian rupees. Weeks later, sales hit $280,000 total. Over three thousand units were sold.
Creator Cat launched her own Entrepreneurial endeavour called Physical Phones. The company offers five different retro-style collection models that are each priced between $90-$110. Cat currently produces the phones in collaboration with a manufacturing partner and began shipping products in December.
The Retro Phones work by pairing with a smartphone via Bluetooth connection. Incoming calls ring through the Retro Phone and include incoming calls through WhatsApp and FaceTime. All audio streams through the Retro Phones, with the ability to dial phone numbers using the phone keypad.
Pressing the star (*) key on the Retro Phone activates the voice assistant feature. From anywhere in the home, users can make voice-activated commands without having to touch or find their smartphone. This feature adds ease of use to the Retro Phone style and makes a modern device resemble the original design in many ways.
The Retro Phone is aimed at those who wish to decrease their smartphone usage. Those who use smartphones for social media have increased during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. With the piles of social media and straining the user’s mental health because of distractions, a Retro Phone can provide a form of digital detox.
Nostalgia plays a significant role in the Retro Phone design. Flip-phone fans love the Retro Phone style and its unique shape and colour contrast. The Pink/Gold Retro Phone is a big seller in the product line, and all of those who see it have had a positive experience. When it is not used, the Retro Phone doubles as a doorstop.
Cat is currently developing her next generation product line. She wants to help people disconnect from a digitized lifestyle and assist developing future products to prove that creativity and originality can solve today’s problems.
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