Hands0n
17th October 2005, 08:22 PM
Recently in another thread the subject of the phones of yesteryear came up and thus this thread is launched.
Back in the dim mists of the past, 1982 to be precise, the first UK Cellular Networks began to emerge. Car phones were the first to be out but it did not take long for the first mobile handsets to arrive. These were, for the age, surprisingly compact - although heavy as the proverbial Sin. Battery life was nothing to write home about, if you got 30 mins talk time you were fairly lucky. But then the call charges discouraged any hint of a marathon phone call. SMS was then available but at 60p a pop there were not many takers - it was not to come down to the levels we know of until the advent of GSM.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I offer for your delectation the first (?) cellular mobile handset ever, namely the Motorola 8000S. Weighing in at 849g (1lb 13oz in old money) and the handset measuring 19.5cm (7-5/8") or 39.3cm (15-1/2") base to arial tip the 8000S is no behemoth. But it ain't small either.
The attached pictures tell the tale as well as any words can. Illustrated with it is a recent Motorola A1000 for size comparison. I won't even begin to go into the list of differences between these two :) Suffice to say that the Motorola 8000S is a mobile telephone. Thats it.
If you have any similarly old memorabilia why not share it with us on this thread. It is worth remembering from where today has originated from.
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The attached pix show the 8000S in a number of poses. I apologise for the quality, it was taken with a Nokia 6680 in incandescent room lighting and the handset's flash tried its best to fill in the poor light.
Left to right ...
1. (003) shows the 8000S against the A1000 for size comparison
2. (006) similarly shows the side on view of both handsets, note the long black "rubber duck" arial on the 8000S
3. (008) shows the 8000S sporting one of the last accessories made for it, a short form arial which was amazingly efficient in use
4. (009) the one with the beer gut in the background shows the 8000S in its nice shiny real-leather shoulder bag.
.
Back in the dim mists of the past, 1982 to be precise, the first UK Cellular Networks began to emerge. Car phones were the first to be out but it did not take long for the first mobile handsets to arrive. These were, for the age, surprisingly compact - although heavy as the proverbial Sin. Battery life was nothing to write home about, if you got 30 mins talk time you were fairly lucky. But then the call charges discouraged any hint of a marathon phone call. SMS was then available but at 60p a pop there were not many takers - it was not to come down to the levels we know of until the advent of GSM.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I offer for your delectation the first (?) cellular mobile handset ever, namely the Motorola 8000S. Weighing in at 849g (1lb 13oz in old money) and the handset measuring 19.5cm (7-5/8") or 39.3cm (15-1/2") base to arial tip the 8000S is no behemoth. But it ain't small either.
The attached pictures tell the tale as well as any words can. Illustrated with it is a recent Motorola A1000 for size comparison. I won't even begin to go into the list of differences between these two :) Suffice to say that the Motorola 8000S is a mobile telephone. Thats it.
If you have any similarly old memorabilia why not share it with us on this thread. It is worth remembering from where today has originated from.
----------
The attached pix show the 8000S in a number of poses. I apologise for the quality, it was taken with a Nokia 6680 in incandescent room lighting and the handset's flash tried its best to fill in the poor light.
Left to right ...
1. (003) shows the 8000S against the A1000 for size comparison
2. (006) similarly shows the side on view of both handsets, note the long black "rubber duck" arial on the 8000S
3. (008) shows the 8000S sporting one of the last accessories made for it, a short form arial which was amazingly efficient in use
4. (009) the one with the beer gut in the background shows the 8000S in its nice shiny real-leather shoulder bag.
.