We all experience that phase in life where some trustee gadget, whether it’s your phone, PSP or Gameboy… needs to go! Usually, the transition is not too bad – some upgraded awesome replacement is available, and what you had before easily gets sold for cheap money or ends up in that messy drawer with even older phones, batteries and old currency.
Fast forward 10-20 years: memories start coming back, and you wish you still had that worn-out Gameboy or first iPhone 3G(s). The same nostalgy hit the team at GRID Studio, and they started collecting old iPhones, Playstation controllers and other retro devices. All items had one thing in common: they represented a milestone both in tech history and in many people’s hearts.
GRID is a company that sells electronic gadgets and products transformed into home décor. To us, it’s pure art combined with a trip down memory lane! What makes it next level are all the nice little details that ensure a great experience for their customers: all the way from receiving the incredible good looking package to the actual product.
Grid sent us their iPhone 3G(s) frame for us to review:
Each component of GRID’s iPhone 3G(s) is artistically arranged on a white background with labels for each small component of the iPhone. It’s a great mix of keeping it simple and elegant and, at the same time, delivering a technical drawing feeling to it.
You can see the screen, physical buttons, and flexible cables with the old pin connector, speakers, cameras and even an iPhone logic board with the original chip. According to GRID, everything is assembled by hand and all parts are original! Batteries are not included to the artboard for safety reasons, so it’s no problem to have the frame hanging on your wall for years.
We are blown away by the attention to detail, and in some way, it’s almost too perfect. The framed products are actual old and used products, and if the components had more patina, we think it would be even more authentic to the era. Then again, having these old, now in some cases collectible items framed as art looking brand new, gives you a feeling of having something limited “unbroken” and never touched!
But… maybe GRID Studios should consider doing a separate Patina series? Maybe even giving customers the option to send in their own used products for the full authentic experience?
The price for this particular iPhone 3G(s) frame named GRID 3GS on their website is $199. But we recommend checking out their website regularly (and signing up to their newsletter), since they often offer attractive discounts. GRID Studios sent us the iPhone 3gs for free to review – it was so good that we decided to purchase the Playstation 1 controller art grid frame!
Having two side by side creates a great look and is guaranteed to draw in many curious looks and be a real conversation starter. As time passes, they will maybe be even more interesting and we plan on keeping ours to no one even remembers what an iPhone was…that is if that day ever comes?
Do we need a better conclusion than that?
