Today, cell phones are an ubiquitous part of our lives. There are an estimated 5 billion cellphones in circulation around the world, with an estimated 20 million in usage right here in Canada. Therefore, it can seem hard to believe that the first commercial cell phone only became available less than 30 years ago. Back then, the cell phone seemed in a completely different universe from the models we know and love today. Introduced in 1983, the Motorola DynaTAC weighed almost 800 grams and cost $4000 to boot. The truth is, the cell phone may be one of the fastest evolving technologies to date. To see the rapid advancements in both aesthetics and technology is a pretty amazing. Therefore, today I can proudly present a brief visual history of one of our favorite innovations of the last half-century.
1983 – Motorola DynaTAC
The beginning of the cell phone revolution
1989 – Motoroka MicroTAC
The first flip phone, the first cell phone to actually fit in a pocket
1993 – IBM Simon
First “smartphone”
1998 – Nokia 8810
First phone without an external antenna
2001 – Ericsson T39
First phone to have bluetooth capabilities
2004 – Motorola RAZR
First “fashion” phone
2007 – Apple iPhone
2010 – HTC Evo 4G
If you’re interested in this topic, you can find a lot more information (and pretty pictures) here and here.