Martin “Marty” Cooper is better known as the “father of the cell phone,” and rightfully so. He invented the first handheld cellular mobile phone in 1973, led the team that developed the DynaTAC 8000x (DYNamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage) and then successfully brought it to market in 1983. Measuring 10-inches long, it weighed in at a hefty 2.5 pounds mainly due to its massive battery, which weighed 4-5 times more than a modern cell phone.
This mobile phone had only 30-minutes of talk time before needing a 10-hour recharge. Fortunately, for those who could afford the $10,950 USD (adjusted for inflation) phone back in the 1980s, battery life wasn’t really an issue since most couldn’t hold the device up for even close 30-minutes. On the bright side, after four iterations, the handset was reduced to half its original weight.
- Carrier Compatibility: AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket (AT&T sub-brand), Does not Support: Verizon, Boost, U.S. Cellular, Google Fi, Tracfone (GSM), Tracfone...
- 16 MP dual camera with OIS. Get picture-perfect results with a 16 MP dual camera system featuring optical image stabilization (OIS).
- All-day battery with 27W TurboPower. Go all day on a single charge, and get 12 hours of power in just 15 minutes. Battery Size : 3000mAh,...
How could I ever have persuaded my management to start investing? They ended up pretty much betting the company, between 1969 when the Bell System announced their desire to continue their monopoly on cellular, and 1983 when we actually have service. This battle that we engaged in lasted 13 to 14 years, and the company spent $100 million of 1970 dollars,” said Cooper to Protocol.
