Motorola StarTAC

Motorola StarTAC
A StarTAC 8500 (AMPS model)
ManufacturerMotorola
Compatible networksAMPS, cdmaOne, TDMA, GSM
First releasedJanuary 3, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-01-03)
PredecessorMotorola MicroTAC series
SuccessorMotorola RAZR[1]
Dimensions94 mm × 55 mm × 19 mm (130)
Weight88 g
DisplayDigital: LCD
AMPS (analog): Segment LED, Alphanumeric LED
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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.

The StarTAC was the first Clamshell/flip phone to gain widespread commercial use, although other less successful models had been in circulation as early as 1991,[3][4][5] and an early precursor of this form factor, the Grillo, was designed as early as 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.

  1. ^ Matt Hickey (February 27, 2007). "StarTAC III: Back on the Streets". TechCrunch. AOL.
  2. ^ "Motorola introduces ultra lite 5.9 ounce cellular telephone - MicroTac Ultra Lite Telephone" (Press release). Mobile Phone News; PBI Media; Gale Group. February 10, 1992. Retrieved September 10, 2006.
  3. ^ a b Tynan, Dan (December 24, 2005). "The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years". PC World. p. 2. Archived from the original on July 2, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2006.
  4. ^ "NEC TZ-804 and TZ-1501". [Schwarzschild Cafe]. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  5. ^ Legere, Christian (March 18, 2021). "NEC TZ-1501". [The Flipside Story]. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Marco Zanuso, Richard Sapper. Grillo Folding Telephone. 1966 | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  7. ^ "Téléphone Grillo". Centre Pompidou (in French). Retrieved August 31, 2022.