4 ms·

How curious, I had no idea american dials went from 1 to 0 with 0 the longest to dial! Where I'm from, they went from 0 to 9, with 0 being the shortest number t

How curious, I had no idea american dials went from 1 to 0 with 0 the longest to dial! Where I'm from, they went from 0 to 9, with 0 being the shortest number to dial, like this: http://www.skrotnissen.se/prylshop/common/pic/whitegoods/dsc06666.jpg http://www.skrotnissen.se/prylshop/common/pic/whitegoods/dsc... (This is why the emergency number is 911 in the US, whereas it used to be 90000 where I'm from) Anecdote number two is that when I was working in Denmark in 2004 or so, I noticed that all the number pads on credit card readers were calculator-style, not phone-style, which was a legacy from when Dankort was rolled out in the early 80's, just before keypad phones surpassed rotary dial phones. (In 2010 or around there, most retailers switched their card readers to phone-style layout, so all stores had to have small signs apologizing for it, but mentioning that the rest of the world had phone-style layout, so let's just all get in line with the program...)

henrikschroder 11y ago
Better images: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericsson_Dialog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericsson_Dialog Swedish original on top, US market models on the bottom.
- bootload 11y ago
  "The ergonomics of the handle was a focal point in the design. Additionally, the acoustic, production, and aesthetics aspects needed to be resolved. The handle was fitted in size according to the dimensions of an average face, which had been taken as the starting point of the design process." Superior ergonomics & one of the reasons I dislike modern smart cough spy-phones. The audio is shite and software keys are no replacement for actual tactile feedback. Luckily they (rotary dial 800 series) are still available ~ http://www.vintagephones.com.au/ccp0-catshow/refurbished-telecom-pmg-rotary-dial-phones.html http://www.vintagephones.com.au/ccp0-catshow/refurbished-tel...
jmartinpetersen 11y ago
It wasn't only credit card readers in Denmark that used the calculator style, most of the POTS phones I've used in my life - like http://www.scandinavian-designers.com/EN/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Beocom-1000-2000BO-TelecomBeocom-1000-2000%E7%B3%BB%E5%88%97%E9%9B%BB%E8%A9%B1%E4%B8%B9%E9%BA%A5BO-03.jpg http://www.scandinavian-designers.com/EN/wp-content/uploads/... - have used the calculator style. The emergency number used to be 000, but it was changed to 112 to match the rest of the EU.
jacquesm 11y ago
NL had 0 longest to dial as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T65_telephone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T65_telephone
lewiseason 11y ago
I believe the reason for this is so that when pulse-dialling, all the other numbers keep the correct value, i.e.: 1 = 1 pulse 2 = 2 pulses ... 0 = 10 pulses Or else they'd all be offset by one

henrikschroder 11y ago

Better images: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericsson_Dialog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericsson_Dialog Swedish original on top, US market models on the bottom.

bootload 11y ago
"The ergonomics of the handle was a focal point in the design. Additionally, the acoustic, production, and aesthetics aspects needed to be resolved. The handle was fitted in size according to the dimensions of an average face, which had been taken as the starting point of the design process." Superior ergonomics & one of the reasons I dislike modern smart cough spy-phones. The audio is shite and software keys are no replacement for actual tactile feedback. Luckily they (rotary dial 800 series) are still available ~ http://www.vintagephones.com.au/ccp0-catshow/refurbished-telecom-pmg-rotary-dial-phones.html http://www.vintagephones.com.au/ccp0-catshow/refurbished-tel...

jmartinpetersen 11y ago

It wasn't only credit card readers in Denmark that used the calculator style, most of the POTS phones I've used in my life - like http://www.scandinavian-designers.com/EN/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Beocom-1000-2000BO-TelecomBeocom-1000-2000%E7%B3%BB%E5%88%97%E9%9B%BB%E8%A9%B1%E4%B8%B9%E9%BA%A5BO-03.jpg http://www.scandinavian-designers.com/EN/wp-content/uploads/... - have used the calculator style. The emergency number used to be 000, but it was changed to 112 to match the rest of the EU.

jacquesm 11y ago

NL had 0 longest to dial as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T65_telephone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T65_telephone

lewiseason 11y ago

I believe the reason for this is so that when pulse-dialling, all the other numbers keep the correct value, i.e.: 1 = 1 pulse 2 = 2 pulses ... 0 = 10 pulses Or else they'd all be offset by one