You can still see more than 10,000 coin-operated phones around New York City today. What seems a relic of the past in this age of mobile technology, became a vital link in an emergency for those who had no power to charge their devices during Hurricane Sandy.

Still, many of the phone booths scattered across the city are rotting in disrepair, so Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a design contest in December to “re-own the phone”. He invited designers to submit ideas that might include solar panels, wi-fi, charging station, and information kiosks — anything to give the booths a make-over and bring their communications potential into the 21st century.