Today, we take many of our luxuries for granted. Whether it’s our modern, home desktop computers or our smart cars, many of the technologies we have at present were once no more than the stuff of dreams to older generations. These technologies have become such an integral part of our lives that we sometimes completely forget that they all started somewhere, and few other devices have a history as rich as the mobile phone.

Modern phones can do more tasks than the bulky computers that sent the first astronauts to the moon, such as watching videos or even enjoy Cox Plate betting live. For the most part, we simply can’t appreciate them because we don’t really have a frame of reference: we can’t take an old computer from the 1960s and compare it side-by-side to the latest Samsung flagship device.

Even so, taking a look at where our smart phone came from can help us truly appreciate what an incredible piece of technology we hold in our hand, and just how far it has come.

The First Mobile Phones

Going back to the 1970s, companies around the world were beginning to experiment with various types of computerised technology. The first consoles were on the market, basic home computers were becoming widespread, and the very first prototype mobile phones were being tested. These devices were built off the tech that had run communication radio hardware over the previous decades, and many realised that potential of such a device for the average person.

This led to the creation of the DynaTAC 8000X, a huge device that looked like something you would find straight out of World War 2. It was the prototype of the very first phone, the ancestor to all the smart phones we have today, and the beginning of a new era in mobile technology.

The DynaTAC was unveiled to the public in 1973, being developed and created by Motorola. The device took over 10 hours to charge, allowed for 35 minutes of usage, and cost almost $4000.

From Then To Today

The DynaTAC was a glimpse of what was to come, and companies around the world quickly began creating mobile devices of their own. This continued for the next twenty years, and for each new generation of signal that was developed, a new range of mobile phones would be released to keep up.

This meant constant advancement in the mobile phone industry, and by the late 1990s, we had access to devices that could last for days at a time, allowed us to make lengthy, high-quality phone calls, send texts, and even play some simple games.

This is when the mobile behemoth Nokia was at its prime, and many still remember some of the legendary mobile phones that the company produce. It wouldn’t be until 2007 that the first commercial smart phone would take the world by storm, in the form of the first iPhone. It was one of the most successful iterations of the mobile phone to date. Fast-forward to now, and we have an incredible range of phones to choose from, each more powerful and more capable than the last.

The smart phone will continue to develop and give us even more access and power than ever before, but we must never forget the humble DynaTAC that started it all.