In October 1976, inside BBC Television Center’s Blue Peter studio, three presenters – Peter Purves, Lesley Judd and John Noakes – gathered around what looked like an ordinary black box. This suitcase-sized device was about to change the way people thought about long distance calls, literally.
In 1999, Nokia was *the* mobile phone giant, and the Nokia 3210, a candy bar phone, was one of the most iconic. Its reputation for being indestructible – stories of surviving crashes, spills and even a car accident – was legendary. But how did Nokia make these almost mythical devices? A rare 1999 factory tour shows the process that produced the 3210 (and 8210).
There’s the rotary-powered Ferrari 456 GT, and then Justine Haupt’s Rotary Un-Smartphone. Originally, it was only available with 3G connectivity, but that has now been upgraded to 4G LTE. It measures 11.0cm x 7.5cm x 3.0cm, weighs in at just 163g, and now has a front-side OLED screen for Caller ID as well as a back side e-Paper for contacts.
“Merry Christmas” is reportedly the first SMS ever sent, and it just sold for a whopping €132,680 ($150,094 USD) as an NFT at auction. This message was reportedly sent on the Vodafone network way back in December 1992 and all proceeds raised from this sale will be donated to the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
This isn’t an early April Fools’ Day joke, but rather a real special edition Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone with mobile phone capabilities. You read that right, its familiar rotary dial face design now connects to your mobile device via Bluetooth wireless technology, so you’ll be able to make real calls. Now it wouldn’t be a Chatter Telephone without wheels, and you’ll find four of them here.
A 33-year-old man from Pristina, Kosovo somehow managed to swallow an entire Nokia 3310 mobile phone, which some tout as nearly indestructible. Fortunately, this person was smart enough to drive themselves to the hospital after experiencing intense pain four days following the ordeal. Skender Teljaku was the doctor who performed the operation and showed not only the X-ray image of the lodged object, but the aftermath as well.
At $369, the Mudita Pure wants to keep your mobile phone experience simple and refined. From afar, the device may appear to be a Nokia 3310, but upon closer inspection, you’ll realize that it’s a much more modern handset. The company touts that the Mudita Pure stands out for offering the lowest ‘SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) value among all mobile phones on the market, thus protecting users from electromagnetic radiation.
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.
HMD Global’s Nokia 2720 Flip is finally launching in the US through Verizon on May 20, priced at $79.99. As expected, this mobile phone includes only the most basic of features, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Google Assistant, Google Maps, and a web browser. It features a main 2.8-inch QVGA display that folds down when not in use, a 1.3-inch outer display, and a physical keypad.
Photo credit: Sky’s Edge
Justine Haupt’s company, Sky’s Edge, built a custom rotary dial cellphone earlier this year, and now, she wants to give consumers a chance to purchase one. The aim was to rid smartphones of t heir battery-draining distractions, such as the touchscreen. A “mark 2″ model is currently being developed, and instead of 3G, data connectivity has been upgraded to 4G. Read more for a video and additional information.