Emporia RL1: a straightforward phone for today’s world

Emporia and Vodafone have just announced the release of a stylish-looking feature phone that’s meant to be the “most straightforward mobile phone in the world” – which is possible, considering how incredibly complex most devices are nowadays, (though I refuse to believe any phone could be as simple as this but I digress.) The RL1 lets you text, make calls, store numbers, set alarms, birthday reminders, and solve your mathematical problems with a calculator. Other than that it does nothing else; which somehow reminds me of the Bluchip BC5i except that the BC5i doesn’t pretend to market itself as a cool, simple phone – it gets straight to the point.

While the RL1 is a pretty decent feature phone with a talk time of 3 hours, the worst part about it is its price tag. The phone costs $99 (£60) on Vodafone’s monthly pay as you go plan. Who would’ve thought simplicity would be this pricey?