I know PonyVille has no phones but i have a great scene where it uses a phone but it's a slice of life. Should I use phones or not?

I don't think Ponyville has advanced technology enough to use cell phones, but as long as it's a dial-tone phone or something similar I don't think it'd be too OOC.

Keep it around 1930's technology, and go for it.

If you want. There were kids playing video games in Hearts and Hooves Day.

970580>>970581 Don't they have videogames? (remember "The Perfect Stallion?" "This one's too young?")

970590
meh do what you want i guess

970592 I mean, it's not like i'm suggesting computers or cell phones, but maybe something less advanced or different than normal phones (to get around the whole "hooves" thing.)

970574 No cellular phones, but why not an older sort of phone? Go on ahead.

970574 Equestria technology is all mess up so it's wouldn't be too contradictory to put phones in Ponyville.

970574

Maybe, as Equestrians seem to discover things in a different order than us humans.

970574
Given the prevalence of mail, couriers and dragonfire as a method of communication, I severely doubt any systems of telephony or telegraphy are available on any usable level in Equestria.

If you've got unicorns involved, however, it wouldn't be far off to suggest a simple telepathy spell of some kind.

970574 Scootaloo mentions a telegram, so I imagine a telegraph machine would work as well.

sure, go for it

Maybe. Ponyville technology seems to expand rapidly from time to time. The IDW comics seemed to show that television exists in Equestria.

970574 Yes

I give Equestria modern military tech. Go for it!

My headcanon would accept a public phone like at the station or city hall. Except for the rotary dial. That wouldn't work with hooves.

Or maybe one of these for rich ponies.

I make devises for hoof to hand item.
you can come up with something like that.

A couple of my favorite fics use mobile phones ('through the eyes of another pony' and 'Vinyl and Octavia: university days') and it never really bothers me that much.

I don't see anyone getting really put off of a fic just because there happens to be a mobile phone somewhere (unless, of course, the reader is a perfectionist who already completed their head cannon a year ago) so go ahead! Just don't do anything too over the top or it'll be suspicious (unless you're going for suspicious, in which case go for it (but even then try to be subtle enough to not lose your audience from over suspiciousness turning into critical analyzing))...

Slight tangent

Rotary dial, if that advanced. Maybe make them very expensive and rare.

970788
maybe something like a bicycle pedal to turn the dial if you want to go with human design

970788
Rich unicorns could use that, but I don't think it'd be a very nice idea for a pony fic.

970893
That sounds even stranger. I'd simply include a really old-school switchboard operator. You know, "das Fräulein vom Amt" as my grandmother used to say.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switchboard_operator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_switchboard

970998>>970902
Being honest, if the dial was designed right, the they probably wouldn't have any problems when dialing with it.it could be something as simple as having larger holes or having a ridge come out of each hole.

970788 I agree with this guy. Although I personally would not use phones at all, if I were forced to, I would definately accept a circa 1900s wooden box phone. *ring ring* Hello operator? Connect me to Pony-6-0-4 please. A phone in town hall, perhaps the post office (assuming town hall isn't also the post office) and perhaps in the Rich household, makes sense.

I should also point out that they probably have at least the telegraph invented. (See Pinkie's singing telegram). And also I believe the messenger from The Last Roundup may have been a telegram messenger. Maybe.

If it's comedy, have Twilight answer the phone, talk, hang up, walk away and stop.

"Hey Spike! When did we get a phone?"

"What phone?"

"The one right over.... Well, it was over there."

Steamtech?
Magi-tech?
i'm pretty sure somepony somewhere figured out how to enchant devices that could communicate like walkie-talkies that's faster and more efficient than sending mail.

971636
There was also the Telegram for Granny Smith in "Family Appreciation Day".
Plus Scootaloo looked cute in the uniform.

971048
I like thinking ponies are in the 1700's of technology, to be honest.

972215 No, not at all. It would resemble that of the 1900's-1930's roughly. Steam locomotives were not invented until 1804-1812 (Unsure when exactly).

970788
this.

Ultimately, I think you can have whatever tech you want, but it should be at roughly the lowest example of that particular field.

for instance, ponyville has as DJ, but she uses a vinyl record player.
They have trains, but only steam engines,(heck, originally they had been pulled by earth ponies) their other forms of conveyances are basically chariots (though from another perspective, they'd be fancy rickshaws)
They have video games, but only huge arcade cabinets.
They have standing guards during the canterlot wedding, but even though they're on top of walls, they only have spears, not bows or crossbows, or guns.
they have cameras, but they're old manual film based cameras, not digital.
So for the case of phones, you wouldn't have cellphones, but the telegraph or old school public telephone box wouldn't be unreasonable. (maybe a private telephone box for ponies of influence, like the mayor, or the princesses)

My assumption has always been that technology is mostly developed by earth ponies to compensate for no spellcasting abilities, but that technological innovation is slowed to a grind by the presence of magic making the world difficult to study, and the lack of support from pony races who can use their magic instead of the tech.

972386
I like thinking of them that way though :C