Motorola StarTAC
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The StarTAC is a series of mobile phones released by Motorola starting in 1996. It is the successor of the MicroTAC, a semi-clamshell design first launched in 1989.[2] Whereas the MicroTAC's flip folded down from below the keypad, the StarTAC folded up from above the display. The StarTAC was among the first mobile phones to gain widespread consumer adoption; approximately 60 million StarTACs were sold.
Manufacturer | Motorola |
---|---|
Compatible networks | AMPS, cdmaOne, TDMA, GSM |
First released | January 3, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-01-03) |
Predecessor | Motorola MicroTAC series |
Successor | Motorola RAZR[1] |
Dimensions | 94 mm × 55 mm × 19 mm (130) |
Mass | 88 g |
Display | Digital: LCD AMPS (analog): Segment LED, Alphanumeric LED |
It is often assumed[by whom?] to be the first ever clamshell (flip) mobile phone.[3] Technically, however, NEC had been releasing flip phones on NTT Docomo's PDC Mova network long before 1996, namely the TZ-804 and TZ-1501, both respectively launched in 1991 and late 1994.[4][5] Another early precursor of this form factor was the Grillo, which was designed in Italy by Richard Sapper and Marco Zanuso in 1965.[6][7]
In 2005, PC World named the StarTAC as the 6th Greatest Gadget of the Past 50 Years (out of a list of fifty).[3] The StarTAC brand was revived in 2004 and 2007 for a series of flip phones exclusive to some Asian markets, and again for a cordless phone model.