Timeline: History of the Handheld Mobile Phone

Jun 17, 1946

First mobile phone call made from an automobile

The first mobile phone call was made from an automobile in 1946 by Bell Labs in St Louis, Missouri. Referene: PC World

Apr 3, 1973

First cellular mobile phone call made

Martin Cooper made the first mobile phone call from the first handheld cellular mobile phone produced by himself while working for Motorola. Reference: CNN

Jan 1, 1978

'Advanced Mobile Phone System' (AMPS) developed in the US

The Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) was an analog mobile phone system created by Bell Labs (AT&T). It was the first cellular network used in the US. Reference: AT&T ArchivesT

Jan 1, 1979

First analog system released (1G)

The first commerical cellular network (also known as 1G) was created in Toyko, Japan by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT). Reference: University of the Air, Japan

Mar 6, 1983

First commerical mobile phone on the market

Motorola made Martin Cooper's mobile phone available to the public, 10 years later. Reference: Daily Mail UK Reference: Mobile Read (Date)

Jan 1, 1993

2G Mobile phones developed

The second generation (2G) of mobile phones were developed in 1993 in Finland. Reference: Uswitch

Jan 1, 1993

First smartphone developed

The 'IBM Simon Personal Communicator' was the first smartphone developed by IBM and Bellsouth. It was touch screen and you were able to send faxes off it. Reference: Techhive

Dec 23, 1993

First person-person SMS message sent

The first commerical SMS message sent in Finland, 1993. Reference: Bride Side of News

Jan 23, 1996

First flip phone developed

The Motorola StarTEC was the first mobile flip phone developed by Motorola in 1996. Reference: Tech2

Aug 15, 1996

First smartphone with internet capabilities

Nokia creates the first smartphone with internet capabilites, developed in Finland in 1996. This device also offered the first QWERTY keypad. Reference: Nokia

Nov 23, 2000

First camera phone developed

The first camera phone developed was the 'Sharp J-SH04, made in Japan in 2000. Reference: Gadgetizor

May 1, 2001

3G mobile phones developed

The first third generation (3G) of mobile phones was developed by NTT in Japan. Reference: DCI Expo

Jan 1, 2003

The iconic 'Blackberry' smart phone was developed

The 'Blackberry' is an iconic smart phone still popular today for it's advanced capabilities. The use of its mobile email has always been Blackberry's main focus, as well as general web browsing. Reference: Blackberry