Touring the wireless industry's roster of retired devices

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It's clear that the mobile handset industry is developing at a breakneck pace. Vendors are introducing new devices, technologies, functions and features at a seemingly daily clip, in an effort to generate buzz and entice users to what they hope will be the vaunted next best thing.

Of course, this relentless pace means that the devices of yesterday are immediately considered obsolete, having been superseded by newer and seemingly better offerings. In some industries, this evolution happens over the course of years or even decades (think automobiles). But in wireless, today's flashy new phone can be rendered outmoded in a matter of weeks--at least, for those who follow the ins and outs of megapixels and application processors. (The shrinking crowd of voice-only users likely remain happily above the fray, content to chat on their three-year-old Razrs.)

Thus, as the industry leans into the critical fourth-quarter holiday shopping season--and carriers and handset vendors pull out all the stops in efforts to shock and awe consumers with their latest gizmos--it's worth taking a step back in time to evaluate the retired phones of yesteryear (or yesterday, in some cases).

Each of the devices detailed herein highlight a specific industry trend or event; they are essentially guideposts in the advancement of the wireless industry and its players. And simply because these devices have been retired does not necessarily make them failures (though some are)--instead, they stand as testaments to what has come before and signal where things may be headed.

Further, some of the gadgets in this list likely are for sale somewhere today, be it eBay or elsewhere, so the term "retired" is intended to reflect their status as having put in their time and done their job. Now they can be put out to pasture.

A final caveat: This is by no means a complete list. Such an undertaking is beyond our means and the means of just about any publication with finite resources. The devices listed here are simply intended as a smattering of wireless history--and possibly an indication of the history of things to come. And with that:

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