{
  "id": 17152471,
  "title": "Someone turned a vintage rotary phone into an AI assistant, and so can you",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/someone-turned-a-vintage-rotary-phone-into-an-ai-assistant-and-so-can",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-30T00:44:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "XDA Developers",
    "slug": "xda-developers",
    "url": "https://www.xda-developers.com/someone-turned-a-vintage-rotary-phone-into-an-ai-assistant-and-so-can-you/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For those who enjoy tinkering with vintage hardware, modifying retro equipment can be a rewarding endeavor. With many units now available at low prices due to their lack of utility, these devices can serve as excellent platforms for new projects. A prime example can be found on Hackster.io, where Ramazan Eren Arslan transformed a German rotary phone into an AI-powered assistant. Arslan acquired the Deutsche Bundespost FeTAp 791 rotary phone from a flea market, though similar models can likely be found more affordably online. After dismantling the phone, he inserted a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and a USB sound card inside. Upon answering the receiver, users can dial 1 for German, 2 for English, or 3 for Turkish, routing their queries to Google Gemini 3.8 Live. This setup essentially brings back the charm of those advice hotlines from the past, but at a significantly lower cost. The versatility of this project extends to other rotary phones as well. If you have an old rotary phone collecting dust or spot one at a reasonable price in a second-hand store, consider giving this AI assistant project a shot by visiting the Vintage Phone AI Assistant Hackster page.",
  "summary": "A hotline you can call, 24/7.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}