MOTOROLA StarTAC Mobile Phone - Dual Band (LCD Display)

Circa 1998

An iconic mobile phone that essentially created and popularized the flip-phone market in the late 1990s.

Use Case:

Designed to provide portable, person-to-person voice communication over analog AMPS networks, though later digital models were introduced for GSM, CDMA, and TDMA networks. It was marketed as a "wearable cellular telephone" due to its remarkably small and light design for the time. Key features included a basic display, a vibrate alert (a novel feature then), and the ability to receive SMS messages, although sending was only possible on later digital versions.

Historical Significance:

• It was the first commercially successful flip (clamshell) mobile phone, a design that would dominate the market for over a decade.

• It was, at the time, the smallest and lightest cell phone available, weighing a mere 3.1 ounces (88g) in its lightest configuration, which transformed the mobile phone from a bulky tool into a fashion accessory.

• It was one of the first phones to gain widespread consumer adoption and helped popularize the idea of personal mobility. Its iconic design, which some say resembles the Star Trek communicator, also appeared frequently in Hollywood movies of the period.

NOTE: 2-Units available—AC charger available upon request.

(H-12.5cm x W-6cm x D-2.5cm)