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Classic phones we wish could be brought back

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In a time when the wireless world is beholden to the Next Big Thing as the iPhone-Killer, or enthralled with how many megapixels can be put into a phone's digital camera, wouldn't it be nice to think back to simpler times, when you could dazzle your friends and colleagues with that fancy new "flip phone" you got? With handset sales expected to decline in 2009 and with the spirit of frugality that these hard times demand, FierceWireless is taking a trip into the past to come up with the top 5 classic handsets we wish would be brought back (or at least not consigned to the trash bin of history).

While you wouldn't want to necessarily use all of these today, they do have a timeless quality that may at least make you appreciate the functionality of many handsets on the market, and not complain as much when your HSDPA or EV-DO connection does not load up as quickly as you would like it. As always, please feel free to comment and add any phones to the list that you think should be included. Click the thumbnails to see the phones...

More stories about Sony Ericsson   Nokia   motorola star-tac   Motorola   mobira talkman  

Comments

Ahh the fun history of wireless. Anyone remember the Motorola Toughtalker? Or the MicroTAC? And what about BellSouth's "converged" touchscreen brick-sized Simon? It let you view (bit by bit) a fax on the screen and used a stylus to enter data.

I think I have all of these in my basement. After almost 22 years in the industry, sometimes it is hysterical to see how far we have come.

All great choices!
The phone that really turned around business I think was the Motorola DPC flip phones (i.e. DPC500,900,550,950, 650). They were marginal performers, but were a very popular piece! Can you imagine that we were able to retail these things for over a $1000.00?! Not in this economy!
I paid $880.00 for my first StarTac...I had no cash, but I looked cool!

You missed the Mitsubishi 301...man I sold the heck out this phone model in 1986 and 1987!

I wish Motorola would bring back the Star-Tac. That phone was rugged and awesome.

In addition to the many phones I have acquired of the years I still enjoy my Sony Ericsson T-39 and T-28 as an overall great phones.

From not the too old, I still use my Nokia e61.

You list the Mobira Talkman for the same year that Motorola released the original DynaTAC handheld? That was the first true "portable" even though it weighed about 2 pounds! Give me a break!

The StarTAC actually was the second in the Motorola line to have VibraCall. The Classic II was the first...it also boasted alpha-numeric phone book entry, huge leaps in technology. :)

Well, you missed the most classic phone of all, the world's first intelligent screen phone: The Simon!

Well, you missed the most classic phone of all, the world's first intelligent screen phone: The Simon!

To this day, no phone cups the ear to sheild out outside noise better than the StarTac.

the phone that drove the AWS one-rate-plan or the phone that was driven by the one-rate-plan was the nokia 6160

Siemens SL45 for sure,- first i knew of with a built in MP3 player, sound recorder etc. And everything worked like a dream in a sub 100 gram piece of silvery slickness..

You omitted the name of the Ericsson T68 in your Top5. The most common phone over here in Europe likely was the 6210 and related, a model number used over and over again for slight variations of a design that was just right !

You guys forgot all about the Nokia 8860 TDMA Dual Band Tri-Mode circa 2000? I think it was one of the first phones with a sliding door. Everytime you put in your cup holder or pocket to talk via earphone, it would hang up the call.

Also, you should mention the motorola timeport series as it had one of the best audio codecs ever...

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