Car Phones

AT&T introduced the world's first mobile phones in 1946, but they were limited in scope and availability, and required staggering amounts of power. Subsequently, manufacturers placed early mobile phones inside vehicles where they could rely on the power of car batteries.

First Cell Phone

In 1973, Motorola released the world’s first cell phone, marking the beginning of nearly universal mobile communication. Dubbed the DynaTAC 8000X, it weighed in at 2.5 pounds and had a talk time of only 35 minutes, after which it needed to recharge for roughly 10 hours.

Nokia’s Debut

Released in 1987, the Nokia Mobira Cityman took the foundations laid down by Motorola and improved upon them — it was a full pound lighter than the DynaTAC and talk time was just shy of an hour. It was a hulking piece of equipment and sported a steep price tag, though.

First Flip Phone

Not to be outdone by Nokia, Motorola came out in 1989 with the world’s first flip phone, the MicroTAC 9800X. The mouthpiece folded up when not in use, covering and therefore protecting the buttons — the innovative design was so successful that it stuck around until 1998.

First Text Message

On December 3, 1992, the world’s first text message was sent and read simply, “Merry Christmas.” It was received on an Orbitel 901, a hulking phone weighing over 4.5 pounds — hardly a mobile phone at all, but it was the first device to function on a GSM network.