When Phones Were Fun: The Xelibri Experiment (2003)
![MrMobile [Michael Fisher]](http://yt3.ggpht.com/RpqJy1uS9sbNkT9zExMcvg0_wiGr-84xC-D0k5gLyOtDw1NMSzySlMz-ldmBtWCKqgUzjHMu=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Imagine sitting down to breakfast with one of the biggest companies in the world and being told this:
“We need to do something bold, something nobody expects. I will give you a budget, personnel, marketing, products, prices and distribution. All I want from you is to go out and change the world!”
The year was 2002, the place was Munich’s Hotel Bayerischer Hof and the man with the sweet ‘stache was Rudi Lamprecht of German tech giant Siemens, whose mobile division was at the time the world’s fourth-largest cellphone maker. The man on the other side of the table was George Appling, an American consultant whose acceptance of that offer would lead to what he once called “the greatest job imaginable.” Appling’s team would go on to build a family of cellphones unlike any the world had yet seen (promoted by a set of commercials the likes of which I hope never to see again)!
But just two years later, this journey into “tomorrow” would be cut short - and a year after that, with its phone division losing 1.5 million euros per day, Siemens abandoned a twenty-year legacy and left the mobile space entirely. This is the story of some of the weirdest cellphones the world has ever seen: the story of Xelibri.
[SPECIAL THANKS]
Valentinos Antoniades:
/ valentinos_ant
[SUBSCRIBE TO MRMOBILE]
www.youtube.co....
[ABOUT WHEN PHONES WERE FUN - SIEMENS XELIBRI]
This is the eleventh in a series of MrMobile videos exploring the mobile tech world's most vibrant period in design and experimentation. In “When Phones Were Fun,” Michael Fisher re-reviews cellphones from the golden age of mobile, the decade-long span from the turn of the century to approximately 2009.
When Phones Were Fun: Episode 12 features samples from Siemens / Xelibri’s “Space on Earth” and “Fashion Extravaganza” collections of 2003, on loan from Valentinos Antoniades. Specific devices featured: Xelibri 2, Xelibri 5, Xelibri 6, Xelibri 7. No company paid a fee or otherwise offered compensation in exchange for this coverage, nor did any company preview or approve this content before publication.
[LINKS]
Handy Man: The American who is revolutionizing mobile phones [Munich Found]:
www.munichfound...
XL Video in massive phone launch [etnow]:
www.etnow.com/n...
Siemens Xelibri Marketing [Merete Busk]:
www.meretebusk....
Siemens Launches Its Xelibri Mobile Phones [Campaign]:
www.campaignli...
Siemens Formula for Success Paid Off In Europe; U.S. May Be Harder to Crack [WSJ]:
www.wsj.com/ar...
Siemens Xelibri 2 Specs [Softpedia]:
mobile.softped...
Superbrands case studies: Siemens mobile [Campaign]:
www.campaignli...
SIEMENS DROPS CHIC XELIBRI LINE [WSJ]:
www.wsj.com/ar...
Siemens Sells Cell Phone Unit [DW]:
www.dw.com/en/...
Xelibri’s Digital Darlings Press Fashion Buttons [Shanghai Star]:
www.china.org.c...
Bang & Olufsen and ELLE Pick Up Where Xelibri Failed [SlashData]:
www.slashdata....
Panasonic G70 vs Siemens Xelibri 6 [Mobile Gazette]:
www.mobilegaze...
German Giant Siemens Gets Disconnected [Der Spiegel]:
www.spiegel.de...
BenQ Mobile - end of the story for Siemens [Mobile-Review]:
mobile-review....
Counterclockwise: the history of Siemens phones and their many innovations [GSMArena]:
www.gsmarena.c...
Listing of Siemens Phones [GSMArena]:
www.gsmarena.c...
[SOCIALIZE]
/ themrmobile
/ themrmobile
/ themrmobile
mrmobile.tech
[DISCLOSURES]
This post may contain affiliate links, which afford MrMobile / Future plc a commission if you make a purchase. See our affiliate link policy for more details: www.mobilenati...
Additional information concerning MrMobile’s ethics policy can be found here: mrmobile.tech/...
#siemens #xelibri #throwback #2003 #retro #whenphoneswerefun #vintagemobilephones #oldphones #cellphones #tech #history
Michael lookin like he wants pics of Spiderman on his desk ASAP
Exactly what I thought 😍
J Jameson: am I joke to you
Haha yeah! XD
@@josephyn89 uP
I was thinking he looks like Nathan Lane, just slimmer.
When I saw this video in my notifications I cried. These phones are so rare and the fact you were able to track down and even hold them for this video is nothing short of incredible. I know I've said it many times but your work means so much to us. Tech preservation is important and I couldn't think of anyone else to present it to us than you.
I couldn't have said it better myself. Beautiful work there Michael n thanks, for bringing back those beautiful memories... Alive. 👍🤗🔙💖
They are rare?
I had one back in the day and on the German ebay Kleinanzeigen (local Craigslist) you can get them from 10-60€.
There are hundreds available of each model if you’re interested in them.
Also all the other weird early 2000s phones like the lovely Nokias are still in many German households drawers.
That’s why you can still get those lovely reminders of a better time for cheap over here :)
@@rolux4853 They are really hard to find in the US!
I miss this era in cell phones. Xelibri and Nokia both had such fun form factors back then. Design teams really seemed to believe that no idea was a bad idea.
Basically the tagline for this entire series. :) I agree!
But they were impractical defeating the basic purpose of a phone...
Apple didn't made such mistake,hence they are king today!
@@Mee399 oh dont worry, apple has plenty of corpses under its belt too.. and more to come, once the legislation starts to caught up
@@Mee399 To be fair, the 7 actually looked kind of cool. With some better software and better construction, it could have been a flagship product.
@@Mee399 making a standardized design, and adding on to it. That's what the smartphone market is
'When Phones Were Fun' is my favourite series, mostly because I remember these phones when they were 'new'. Man, time flies
The Moustache production was impecable
⠀
The whole look is.
Best. comment. ever. 👆👆👆
I love his mustache and everything
I know this gets said a lot, but these videos are impeccably well made, they're so much more than just having a look at some old phones, they're a reflection, a video essay about a snapshot of tech history and how it relates to the current market.
This might be a nerd thing, but consumer tech history really gets over looked. People talk about old music, films, fashion etc all the time, but we all had a relationship with various tech throughout our lives. Love these videos Mr Mobz, keep them coming :)
So many people have memories tied to it too.
What’s bad is that most of the time these early fashion phones read really predicted the “fashion” of having a specific phone. Depending on what you have you are either a have or have not. Or you’re just a weirdo who likes weird phones
"kids from 2002 loved the compowder from totally spies" ... Sir, with a few words you just crushed my soul ... I remember so vividly how i liked that cartoon ... Now you're my mortal enemy for showing me how old im getting
2002 is not that... long... ag... oh
Oh no
I was born 1 year after totally spies.
I am graduating from high school next year.
@@tamiwu0346 you missed a hella good time period for cartoons, kiddo... Fuck j can feel gray hair growing on me while I'm typing this ..
Dude, rewatch that show. It’s so good as an adult. So many little jokes only adults would get, hidden in every episode!
This whole 'experiment' makes me think of 'The Homer' Car from The Simpsons, down to telling a random consultant to do whatever they like without much oversight whatsoever.
I love how bed flanders is saying it
Okaley dokaley
Yes 👏
sounds like the title of a mid-2000s psychological horror movie
Ha! Yeah this would have worked as the sequel to "Conspiracy Theory"
⠀
@@TheMrMobile ⠀
check out my s21 Ultra review
I believe that film is eXistenZ, directed by David Cronenberg. A film also about cutting edge technology.
I love this series so much, seriously. Started watching your channel during last years first lockdown, with the Phones were fun series. Good times.
"I am confus"
-Mr Mobile 2021
⠀
@@bigmouthstrikesagain4056 lol he saided during the premiere
Frenglish?
The only place where we can find tech history and reviews of past. Nice video and hats off to you sir
That was grand. I've missed When Phones Were Fun!
Thanks; so have I!
Same, I had been waiting for another episode and it didn't disappoint
@@TheMrMobile Ericsson GA628, Motorola A925, Benefon Q, Siemens S10, ... "When Phones Were Fun" series could go on for longer than the actual decade of 1998 - 2007 :-)
@@TheMrMobile can you please cover the best blackberries next time? When touch screens were experimental, keyboards were essential and phones were fun.
This video is proof that there's no other tech channel like this
All I can think about the 6 is "hold on, I'm on my hamburger phone."
The idea behind that model was a powder compact the designers must have been so imaginative.
Literally just a super sentai morpher.
Literally.
powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Ninja_StarBurger
...homeskillet.
The Makeup Phone
I remember back at that time, everyone in school was in a race to have interesting looking phones. back then cameras, mp3 players didn't matter much. What mattered was how unique your phone design was, my friend had a nokia 7610 and we all thought him to be the coolest guy in our class.. this was 2008 in Pakistan. Don't know if anybody would relate to that
@Jon M I remember the N95 being *the* phone to have. And earlier, people competing to see who could get the most interesting Nokia casing (lots of football team ones). Then there was the kid with one of those tiny LG phones that had an IR transmitter he'd use to mess with the TV in class.
The best part, was that many of the teachers had no clue how to use most technology. That and blind T9 texting in class while looking like you were doing listening.
@Jon M the son of the high powered business guy in my school inherited one of his dad’s PDAs that could also do calls when it came time that he needed a phone. He was adamant it was as cool as everyone else’s because it could do all of the same things, and more.
The iPhone was one of the first ones to be both highly functional AND cool to own.
my brother BEGGED for N-gage and he told our mom he became the most famous guy in highschool haha
Yeah My dad had a Nokia C2 06 with a touchscreen. It was a pretty big thing back then. It had a 3d golf game. My friends had never seen a 3d game in a mobile before. It was pretty huge. And my uncle had a nokia 500 which was pretty expensive at that time. It had a candle app that we can blow out by blowing into the bottom of the phone.
In South America we used to have the same mindset regarding cellphones during the aughts.
Such an iconic piece of mobile history
This was a real flashback. My bestfriend dad was director of Siemens in my country (still is) and we could get anything before it was officially on the market. We both got SX1 before it came out as an early N. year present in 03'. Same crazy keyboard layout around the screen. Great phone, but keyboard struggle was real. 😆 When Xelibri came out at that time, my girlfriend fell in love with model 6, clamshell in rose color. I remember taking model 6 and S65 before it came out in February 04', gave her both phones and asked to use them for 10 minutes. After few minutes, she gave back model 6 and said it was rubbish to use. Who could guess! 😆😂 She took S65 and fell in love with that phone. It was an early birthday present for her. I gave back model 6 with my SX1, and got myself also S65, which was such a great phone to use. I believe that every person had that reaction like my girlfriend had while trying to use Xelibri, and thats why they failed.
I found the model 8 without a cover in the snow, managed to make it work with a sony battery later, is ridiculous
YESSSSSSS. I was wishing that one day, Michael will cover the weird phones that Siemens did in the early 2000's
It's an amazing review, hope he does the Nokia fashion series phones from that era too! 😊
You have so much charisma man, makes this channel all the more excellent. One of my favorites on UA-cam absolutely.
"XELEBRI" sounds more like a POKÉMON 😛, mega evolved form of CELEBI 😂😂
Your CELEBI has evolved to XELIBRI!
⠀
@Xeraser What downward spiral? Sword and Shield is the best selling Pokemon game, no?
@@phoenix5054 Sales =/= quality, Switch + Pokemon brand recognition plus probably backlash irony happened.
@@zjzr08
I put over 300h in Pokemon Sword that is the most time I put in any Pokemon game ever.
The wild area and dynamaxing is something people were begging for years.
People always wanted a big open area to explore and to fight big boss pokemon
Damn the production value and the way it was presented! You're outdoing yourself every single time Michael! LOVE THIS SERIES.
"Founded the Sherwood Forest Faire" well there's a plot twist
I had to pause and rewind haha, I live in Austin and I love that festival
From international product consultant/engineer to Forest Faire founder. That's a heck of a career change. Good on him.
I literally cried out “it’s not said selibri?” in anger at my TV, so I appreciated the “yes, that’s really how it’s pronounced” at the end of the intro haha
Ha! I always pronounced it that way too (probably because of Colibri) ... until the research uncovered a bunch of write-ups and commercials with the proper pronunciation. Crazy.
Mo ball
No Key Er
*Cringe* 😩
and Siemens is actually Ziemens :)
@@chelovek-jpeg I at least knew that one :) I do like how German has the first syllable unstressed.
I've got to applaud Michael for his dedication to mobile tech whether it's doing videos on long forgotten but really interesting devices or donning the stylish moustache for a single video! Well done!
Thank you for teaching us so much about these oldies bud goodies. As a 22 year old I appreciate the throwbacks. Watch every episode. Keep it up!
Wait, what, he founded Sherwood? I've been there! It's a fantastic faire. I don't know how you go from alien eggs to that but bravo.
Best vid in “when phones were phone” series.... both informative and educative let alone amazing ...
The last lone - "when phones were fun". gave me goosebumps. 😅
An absolutely fantastic video! It's videos like these that make you one of my favorite humans on the internet. Thank you, Mr. Mobile.
The 00's, especially the early 00's were a wild time.
Mr. Mobile thank you so much for making the ‘When Phones Were Fun’ serious!
You Guys Really worked hard to get hands on these phones, this is pretty much the greatest vedio for these rare phones.
In love with this series "when phones were fun"
Appreciate your work guys👍🔥
a masterpiece of tech journalism..........keep doing this new kind of TV
Really loving this series of retro videos. I would love to see one showcasing Windows Mobile PDA/Phones. Especially the 'O2 XDA' devices like the XDA ii, Exec and Mini for example.
LOVE THESE NOSTALGIC VIDEOS!!!
nobody:
youtube auto captions: ex celery
MrMobile is definitely one of the best. Informative and with great production value.
That phone Rudi holds in his left hand at 0:47 is to this date one of my favorite mobile phones, easily worth an entire episode.
The M65 from 2004 was a unique durable phone that actually delivered on the indestructibility meme that is unjustifiably applied to Nokia phones from that era. My dad bought it after his Nokia broke from a simple fall and I inherited it a few years later. It had a modular construction, with a magnesium exoskeleton you could detach and colorful rubber plugs (in orange and gray) that protected the bottom port and the camera on the back. The plug on the back could be rotated to reveal the camera without having to worry about losing the plug and I remember the camera taking surprisingly soft and nice VGA images. The screen was bright and colorful, with remarkably good viewing angles (better in this respect than some early Android phones) and little ghosting, which was used by the port of Amiga classic Turrican (or its sequel, I'm not entirely sure) that came with the phone. The orange directional nob felt tight, buttons were delightfully clicky, the size was just right. It was a joy to use and to look at, in nearly every way.
Unlike the Xelibri phones, this was a slick, high quality device that really held up to expectations. A sort of last hurrah from the company, released mere months before it sold the division to BenQ.
I can never get bored of the music you use in your videos. The 90's vibe is just amazing.
This is such a detailed video. Really good work.
I actually owned a Xelibri 4 for quite a while and those ring tones bring back some memories :D
Der gute alte Bayrische Hof bei uns in Deutschland 😂
😉
Totally cool, Michael. 😁 Thanks fornmaking videos n phones... Fun again. 😊👍🤗❤️
"as provocative as our phones"
*does blackface in a commercial*
yyyyyeeeeahhhh, turns out some stuff from 2003 doesn't age well
@@TheMrMobile The past is a foreign country and all that.
Entered here just to say it
HOLY SHIT hi every1
when commercials were fun
Serious production value. It's like watching a Netflix doc. Fantastic.
I'm starting to see where the creators of It Follows got their ideas for the phones in that film.
Thought the same, did not dare to write a comment, as the movie was so "small"
This was fascinating! Takes me back to my Pantech c120 days with Cingular Go Phone. Loved the super tiny form factor.
Wow...i see the magazine that mobile the past years like nostalgia is coming back 18 year is to long ✨✨💯
I still have a Xelibri 2 and whilst pretty much useless even at launch, I still love it esp the sound clip you played at the start
My favourite Series on UA-cam (and AVGN)
Same here. Avgn has been trash for a long while.
@@BorislavVeselinov that's your opinion though
@@BorislavVeselinov they're both good in they're own way tho, and one thing they're do right is they drive us back to the past (to the time at childhood or our teenage year)
Always love this vintage cell phone videos... Love this series of yours
my dad back in the days has a shop that was also an official siemens center, i've seen some of those really odd phones, i remember they were really strange but interesting (also my mum was really in love with the sl 65 lol)
⠀
I had the CL75 Poppy. Now that was an odd looking thing by today's standards, with the flowers on the front. It had a button inside that you pressed and the screen turned into a mirror. I have no idea how I ended up with it because I'm really not a pink flowers kind of person, although I did wear a lot of eyeliner so maybe that inspired me?
Bosch 509e is still the best though. With the transparent plastic, like all the cool tech back then.
I love the story told here. Great job, Michael.
Imagine having the financial report and then this happen:
- The mobile division is losing 1.5 mill euro
- Per year?
- :|
- Per year isn't it?
This videos are so informative and easy to digest. You are awesome!!!
Woahhhhhhhhhh. Thanks Valentinos!
STOP in the calendar is the next big dream.
Seriously some of my favorite advice ever.
@@TheMrMobile Aye Aye Captain ✌🏼
That side release buckle design is pretty slick, I'd love to have an outdoor phone in that spirit
One thing missing: the plans for future xelibri seasons were a „spy/action movie“ theme as well as „spirituality“ and „sexuality“. Sadly those never happened
Whoa. Didn't see this in any of my research but it makes sense!
@@TheMrMobile found the info on some german tech forum years ago (i‘m german). Chronologically the season after „hollywood spy/action movie“ and „spirituality“, cellphones with „sexuality“ features would have been an absolutely crazy revolutionary thing to do. A revolution probably only people living in early Y2K could imagine as possible;-D Really need to find it again, there were already finished designs and production plans for the action movie season. Btw im of course a huge fan of your channel, your intelligent, eloquent and quality content is also on another lvl :-)
@@TheMrMobile correction: it was „spy/action/adventure movie“ and „sex/spirituality“ just found it in an old chat of mine but sadly no link:-/// will keep on searching tho
Thanks for the background! That's fascinating, and totally in keeping with Xelibri's obvious desire to plumb untested waters. Yes, please do share more if you come across it!
Wow imagine If xelibri Goes good and they continue until today what themes you can see in 2022
LOOOOVED THIS WHOLE LINE BACK THEN… ughhhh so niiiice
9:12 commercial had me dying laughing wtf was that 😂😂😂😂😂😂💀
As a Siemens cellphone collector myself, I absolutely loved to watch the Xelibri video - great stuff as always, Mr. Mobile! Would be very nice to see some more of the history and demise of Siemens / BenQ mobile covered by you. They had some pretty interesting stuff in their minds too, f.e. the Ruby, Blackbox and of course the never officially released handsets SL91, SL98 and CL61. Would also be great to cover these in a future video. And lets not forget the SF71, a flip / slider hybrid phone. ;-)
This stache look needs to stay 👍
This series is so quality. Your channel is one of the very few channels that will still make me go to the fridge and grab a drink to enjoy your new video.
witnessing history!
Hey Michael! Thank you for another great video!
I really dig your narrative style and level of production.
FYI Miss Dynamite and her brother Akala 4:16 are legendary London rappers
Your videos always bring high production value, great writing, and a stylish haircut -- but this one (no pun intended) was a cut above. I've watched you for years and you are at the height of your powers right now. Keep up the fantastic work!
Your intros are so extra, you could make the trailer for a documentary about dandruff and it would get my attention.
lol - adding "documentary about dandruff" to the production timeline
I really like many tech channels, but Michael is by far the best. The writing, the narration, his bits. Everything is top notch
I feel like John Ralphio would have attended the opening phone fashion launch.
I see you're from Pawnee! 😉😂😂
@@lan2580nokia - yes! Me and Little Sebastian.
@@diamondbed86 Aaaaaw he's here too! 😊😂😂
I'm not sure if you took musical theatrics, drama, or acting courses but it has definitely paid off all these years later. Love this series. Keep on keepin' on!
I have a gallon of cheese sauce in a bucket I've been aging for 2 months, it smells to high heaven and I'm starting to lose my sight
i am confus
@@TheMrMobile me too man, me too.
same
@@TheMrMobile bro please stop with the I am confus, it's 1 am and I've been laughing for 30 minutes straight
Yea
Ah, I almost forgot this line up. Xelibri is like an experimental product when you look at the design. Thanks for bringing up one of historical memories. Can't wait for another line up such as Vertu or Japan flashy phone.
My Therapist: Michael Jonah Jameson isnt real
Michael Jonah Jameson: 0:22
:D I want an expression of him from michael :D
You are the finest content creator UA-cam has today. Man! the scripts you write, just unbelievable. A perfect blend of Art, Drama, Humor and vital information. Just love your work. Your content should be a benchmark for others. Lots of well wishes from India.
The Turtle Comm!
Okay, now I feel old...
*I am sad* proto emoji
Very entertaining! Loved it! Thanks for this video Mr.Mobile
Every time I see Siemens, all I can think of is their medical equipment
Never in my years watching this channel, would i hear a "Totally Spies" reference....I loved that show. Another great video Michael!!!
"That's so tomorrow!" SCREAMS "hello fellow kids!"
"Hello fellow children, would you like to do skateboarding?"
I quite like it, personally
Awesome! Never heard about this brand!! Thank you Mr. Mobile!
13:09 Sounds like the radios in Portal.
I pat myself in back everytime i watch your videos..thank God I found this amazing channel
9:20 You know a commercial is gonna be bad when halfway through the pull a *blackface*
Like I get it, the guy is supposed to be same person for everybody, but holy shit
I thought i was the only one who noticed, I was scrolling through the comments to see a feedback 🤦🏿♂️
It's all about context.
You can peel Tropic Thunder from my cold, dead hands for example.
Wow
@@lexx8207 no one cared at the time cause we didn't have a racist movement called BLM
@@undercawa1109 How is BLM racist?
honestly the best part of these phone's designs are the numbers for each one's model name. look at those sweet numbers
0:34 damn michael looks like hes going to talk about micro machines
"...andremember, ifitdoesn'tsaymicromachines it'snottherealthing!"
Mr.mobile making videos I didn’t know I wanted to see , thank you sir for all these wonderful content
Mr Mobile + moustache + suit = I think I've found my new dream daddy. 😛
He's becoming hot daddy
i am confus
I'm really glad people are preserving old tech like this. Phones of the past are astoundingly different and so all-around interesting because of it. I have a few 2000s phones that aren't even high end and they're just awesome to me. Thanks for the nostalgia romp!
2:31 OMG i owned these 2 phones.. Startac sadly kept snapping
2003.. 18 years, God, that's so weird. Over 18 years, phones have changed so much. I remember when my home phone had a string on it!
Interesting though.
He grew a mustache for this one video
.
A true class act!
Is a man not entitled to his unusable fashion phone? "No!", says the man in Washington. It belongs to the poor. "No!", says the man in the Vatican. It belongs to God. "No!", says the man in Moscow. It belongs to everyone. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose XELIBRI.
@@TrueDiox ¿¿¿
@@Ninjago-News the mustache made me think of Andrew Ryan.
Michael keep up the great work. I like how to make and take out time in your busy schedule to reply to comments.
We need to bring back Siemens and Sony Erickson and Nokia and get rid of realme vivo and all the other nonsense.
There's something that I really like about the idea of a makeup mirror looking phone, is just so classy for some reason
9:21 blackface use in 2003 jumpscare
I switched to 'timed comments' to see if anybody else noticed, thank god 🤣😭
with video this organized and this informative
WHY THE HELL YOU ARE STICK AT 1 MIL SUB
dude, I just can't say a word that gives you enough credit on this awesome piece of art video
THE RINGTONE ALSO SLAPS
Thanks for another installment of one of my favourite UA-cam series!
It is crazy to think that with some of these phones someone spent time, money and research actually making it a reality... Still at least most these were more practical than some of Nokia's Fashion Phones