4 ms·

It's not a "custom". The reason keypads have letters is precisely because the letters are mnemonics for the real number. This usage predates mobile phones, and

It's not a "custom". The reason keypads have letters is precisely because the letters are mnemonics for the real number. This usage predates mobile phones, and is not US-specific. They were originally used for area codes (Wikipedia lists a UK example of 0AY6, ie 0296, for Aylesbury), then later for mnemonic numbers like the one from the article. Mobile phones inherited the lettered keypad from landlines and also started using it for typing text messages.

gpvos 6y ago
It is definitely a custom limited to some particular countries. Wikipedia: The use of alphanumeric codes for exchanges was abandoned in Europe when international direct dialing was introduced in the 1960s, because, for example, dialing VIC 8900 on a Danish telephone would result in a different number to dialling it on a British telephone. At the same time letters were no longer placed on the dials of new telephones.
- Arnavion 6y ago
  (The very next paragraph after the one you quoted talks about how letters for European mobile phones were reintroduced some time later, now standardized so as to not have that problem.) At any rate, the presence of lettered keypads doesn't mean people * had * to make mnemonic phone numbers with them, and it does look like (in Europe) only the UK had such numbers. Apart from the US and UK, they might be popular in some Commonwealth countries too. I grew up in one and remember having them.
  - gpvos 6y ago
    Yes, but only for SMS messages. They are not commonly used to write phone numbers (very occasionally you can see them now, but the numbers are also written below or next to them). In the early automatic telephone years, letters were also used in the Netherlands, France, Denmark and other countries, but they fell out of use way before most people here were born, and also they were mostly (only?) used for area codes and exchange names/numbers, not subscriber numbers.
    - fastball 6y ago
      Sure, but the keypad for the phone app on your iPhone or Android has letters on it.
      - gpvos 6y ago
        Duh. Who ever denied that?
        fastball 6y ago
        Well, the OC was confused as to how letters can be translated into an actual phone number. This should be obvious to anyone that has ever dialed a number on their mobile phone, i.e. OC.
        gpvos 6y ago
        They were specifically asking about landlines. And referring to the method of pressing a number several times to get the correct letter on a mobile phone (i.e., when texting). So they explicitly mentioned that they have seen the letters. However, when dialling a number, they used the numbers, not the letters.
        fastball 6y ago
        Right. The point is... landlines have nothing to do with it. Letters are associated with numbers on a phone keypad. This is not a US-only thing. It is not a mobile only thing. It is not a land-line only thing. Keypads, all over the world, have letters on them. Letters (in the same way they are on phone keypads) can be seen on other numerical entry devices, like a keypad for a secure door. As to pressing a number multiple times when texting, a half-second of thought would make it clear that this wasn't the case. Are you telling me it would be reasonable for OC (or anyone) to think that the NYT's phone number translated from > 844-NYTNEWS to > 844-669998663397777 ??
        gpvos 6y ago
iagovar 6y ago
Well, I've never seen this in Spain or any other country I've been in continental europe. It could just be that I didn't pay attention though.
ScottBurson 6y ago
> This usage predates mobile phones Indeed -- it dates back to the 1920s. At that time, phone numbers in the US started to be formed from a 2-letter exchange code followed by 5 (or sometimes 4) digits. For instance, "PEnnsylvania 6-5000" (dialled 736-5000) was the number of the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City, and also the title of a 1940 hit song. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_number https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_number
- psim1 6y ago
  > was the number of the Hotel Pennsylvania Still is!

gpvos 6y ago

It is definitely a custom limited to some particular countries. Wikipedia: The use of alphanumeric codes for exchanges was abandoned in Europe when international direct dialing was introduced in the 1960s, because, for example, dialing VIC 8900 on a Danish telephone would result in a different number to dialling it on a British telephone. At the same time letters were no longer placed on the dials of new telephones.

Arnavion 6y ago
(The very next paragraph after the one you quoted talks about how letters for European mobile phones were reintroduced some time later, now standardized so as to not have that problem.) At any rate, the presence of lettered keypads doesn't mean people * had * to make mnemonic phone numbers with them, and it does look like (in Europe) only the UK had such numbers. Apart from the US and UK, they might be popular in some Commonwealth countries too. I grew up in one and remember having them.
- gpvos 6y ago
  Yes, but only for SMS messages. They are not commonly used to write phone numbers (very occasionally you can see them now, but the numbers are also written below or next to them). In the early automatic telephone years, letters were also used in the Netherlands, France, Denmark and other countries, but they fell out of use way before most people here were born, and also they were mostly (only?) used for area codes and exchange names/numbers, not subscriber numbers.
  - fastball 6y ago
    Sure, but the keypad for the phone app on your iPhone or Android has letters on it.
    - gpvos 6y ago
      Duh. Who ever denied that?
      - fastball 6y ago
        Well, the OC was confused as to how letters can be translated into an actual phone number. This should be obvious to anyone that has ever dialed a number on their mobile phone, i.e. OC.
        gpvos 6y ago
        They were specifically asking about landlines. And referring to the method of pressing a number several times to get the correct letter on a mobile phone (i.e., when texting). So they explicitly mentioned that they have seen the letters. However, when dialling a number, they used the numbers, not the letters.
        fastball 6y ago
        Right. The point is... landlines have nothing to do with it. Letters are associated with numbers on a phone keypad. This is not a US-only thing. It is not a mobile only thing. It is not a land-line only thing. Keypads, all over the world, have letters on them. Letters (in the same way they are on phone keypads) can be seen on other numerical entry devices, like a keypad for a secure door. As to pressing a number multiple times when texting, a half-second of thought would make it clear that this wasn't the case. Are you telling me it would be reasonable for OC (or anyone) to think that the NYT's phone number translated from > 844-NYTNEWS to > 844-669998663397777 ??
        gpvos 6y ago

iagovar 6y ago

Well, I've never seen this in Spain or any other country I've been in continental europe. It could just be that I didn't pay attention though.

ScottBurson 6y ago

> This usage predates mobile phones Indeed -- it dates back to the 1920s. At that time, phone numbers in the US started to be formed from a 2-letter exchange code followed by 5 (or sometimes 4) digits. For instance, "PEnnsylvania 6-5000" (dialled 736-5000) was the number of the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City, and also the title of a 1940 hit song. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_number https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_number

psim1 6y ago
> was the number of the Hotel Pennsylvania Still is!