The phone booth returns - to banish cell phones

Just in time for his return to the silver screen, Superman's trusty phone booth is back. Only this time, there's a bit more room for his biceps.

Because the pay phone itself is gone, today's booths are BYOC - bring your own cell phone.

In an effort to appease patrons and etiquette police, restaurants, bars, movie theaters and libraries are carving out spaces to separate yakkers from other customers.

Dennis Raney acknowledges that he has contributed to talk pollution. "I get on the cell phone and I do talk louder," says Raney, who last year launched Fort Wayne, Ind.-based C.P. Booth, a manufacturer of Clark Kent-era cabinets in clubby oak ($2,995) or diner-compatible melamine ($2,650).

Cingular took the initial step toward cell phone civility in 2002 by designating Courtesy Zones, with couches or counters, in about 50 Loews theater lobbies across the U.S.

Then in 2003, The Biltmore Room, a Manhattan eatery turned bar, became famous for its leather-walled cell phone booth, and Chicago's Boka restaurant unveiled its velvet-cushioned version.

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