Mobile devices are one of the most essential stuffs for people. We use them every day but how often do we think about how cell phones come and go? It almost seems as if these devices sprang out of nowhere. So how did we get here? Let’s take a peek on the phone history!
- Motorola DynaTAX 8000X (1983). The first commercial handheld cellular phone ever. It was first used in New York by a Motorola engineer.
- Nokia 1011 (1992). One of the first phones to use the new GSM phone system.The signal was digitally encoded and random snoopers with radio receivers were no longer can listen to private conversations.
- Motorola StarTac (1997). This Star Trek tribute mobile phone was one of the first to pose the eternal handset dilemma – to flip or not to flip.
- Nokia 5110 (1998). Arguably the first ‘fashion’ phone. Interchangeable multi-coloured fascias allowed users to customise their handsets. Helped by the hugely addictive game ‘snake’, it became one of the most popular mobiles ever.
- Motorola MPx200 (2002). One of the first phones with Windows Smartphone OS. Users could email, instant message and install applications.
- Motorola A920 (2003). The arrival of 3G data speeds meant a brave new world of video calling.
- Blackberry 6210 (2003). Originally aimed at the business market, Canadian company RIM launched the Blackberry and introduced the concept of mobile email addiction.
- Nokia N70 (2005). Back when installing apps was still the preserve of geeks, Nokia sneaked this smartphone into the hands of regular folks by making it look like a normal phone.
- Apple iPhone (2007). They called it the ‘god device’ – the first iPhone turned the mobile world upside down and helped make apps mainstream. The latest version – the 5S and 5C– just came out.
They say that you have to know where you have been to know where you’re going. So, now that we have an idea of the history behind cell phone technology, we just have to look forward to the next round of technological innovations in the cellphone industry!