Wish your handset happy birthday!

Posted: 14 October 2008

This week sees mobile phones celebrate their 25th birthday.

With handsets seemingly launched with an increasing number of features such as Wi-Fi connectivity, 3G web access and eight-megapixel cameras, the Inquirer looks back on the humble beginnings of the industry.

It states that the first mobile phone was the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, which came with a $3,995 (£2,275) price tag and measured 13 inches in length.

The article notes that the 8000X "weighed 1.75 pounds and required the strength of two yuppies to operate" but adds that without it there would be no Apple iPhone 3G or other high-tech mobile phones.

PC Advisor also takes the opportunity to offer best wishes to the mobile, looking back at the technology which brought portable handsets to the masses.

It says that at the time of its 1983 launch, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X had been in development for over a decade and had cost around $100 million in investment.

"The battery allowed for a call up to 60 minutes, after which it was necessary to charge the phone up to ten hours," it concludes.

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