Call from the future

It's one thing to know what the next iPhone is going to look like. It's an entirely different matter to know what phones will be like a few years down the road.

This slideshow is a collection of our favorite futuristic phone designs, ranging from realistic to not-so-much. Some come from the desks of design firms. Others come from the minds of folks who know their way around Photoshop and have a little too much free time on their hands. Still others are real prototypes from handset makers.

We probably won't be getting our hands on any of these babies for a few years, but most of them contain a kernel of an idea that could make its way into the mainstream, such as OLED displays and pico projectors.