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First Mobile Phone
Motorola released the "DynaTAC" in 1984. It only had a single-line display and the basic number keypad. A full charge of the phone's battery took 10 hours, but it only offered 30 minutes of talk time. The price was $3,995 (equivalent to $10,000 today). -
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The 80's and 90's
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The Flip Phone
Motorola released a newer version of their original phone called the MicroTAC. It was much smaller than the original DynaTAC. The design featured a mouthpiece that folded over the numeric keypad. This model was the first to include the popular "flip" design. -
PDA Phone
IBM and BellSouth worked to produce the first phone with Personal Digital Assistant features. It could be used as a calculator, address book, calendar, and to send emails. It has been referred to as the first "smartphone," even though that term wouldn't be coined for another few years. -
Candy bar Phone
Nokia created the first "candy bar" phone. It was lightweight (6 oz.) and its size was similar to a candy bar. This style of phone became the standard for Nokia and other companies for many years. It was also the first Nokia phone to have the Snake game on it! -
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Era of the Smartphone
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First phone with Bluetooth
The Ericsson T39 was the first phone to have Bluetooth technology. It allowed owners to wirelessly connect their phones to their computers. -
BlackBerry Upgrades
In 2002 BlackBerry decided to finally release their first smartphone. They had previously just been producing PDA's. The BlackBerry 5810 was the first BlackBerry with cellular internet. Users could send-emails. The phone did not have a speaker or microphone so users had to use headsets to make calls. -
First Camera Phone
The Sanyo SCP-5300 was the first cell phone to have a camera built in. It was incredibly low quality, however this revolutionized the smartphone. Users could take photos whenever and later load them onto their computer. This phone started the downfall of the digital camera industry. -
The Razr
A heavenly object in the mind of kids born in the 90's. The Motorola Razr was the first ultra-thin cell phone. It was basically the first phone designed for great functionality with an attractive look. -
Apple iPhone
Apple's entrance into the cellular industry changed everything. They completely replaced the traditional keyboard with an entirely touchscreen display, making the experience of cell phones so much more personal and efficient. Apple's OS was much more attractive and functional than other phone operating systems. Reviews of the phone praised the smooth exterior look. -
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iPhone Era
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iPhone 4
All previous models of the iPhone retained the original shape. The iPhone 4 featured a new design with a slim, flat body. It was the first iPhone to feature a camera on both the front and back of the device. -
iPhone 5 and 5s
The iPhone 5 featured a larger screen than any previous iPhone. The iPhone 5s was released just a year after the iPhone 5. The 5s included a new gold color, and also a fingerprint scanner on the home button. This fingerprint scanner added a higher level of security for the phone and has been included in all new iPhone models since its introduction. -
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
The iPhone 6 was even larger in size than the iPhone 5. The new design featured beveled edges that made the look of the phone very smooth. This was the first iPhone to include Apple pay, which allows users to have their credit card on their phone. -
iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 was released just this month. The new phone is 240 times faster than the original iPhone released in 2007. The larger version of the phone includes a dual lens camera. The battery life is 2 times that of the iPhone 6 and the phone is now water resistant. The iPhone 7 does not include a headphone jack, but comes with wireless AirPods.
