It’s been 50 years since the creator of the mobile phone made the first ever phone call. On 3 April 1973, Marty Cooper stood on a street corner in New York, United States, and took a cream coloured device out of his pocket, put a number into the keypad on it and made a call.
It was the first portable, handheld phone of its kind - although the huge, chunky device looked very different to the mobile phones we are used to today. By modern standards, in fact, we may even question just how portable it actually was but, for its time, it was revolutionary.
To celebrate this historic milestone, NationalWorld has looked back at 11 other mobile phones that also changed the communications industry because of the features that they offered. Take a look through our gallery to see how many you remember.
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1. Nokia 3310
The Nokia 3310 was released back in 2000, and at the time it was the must-have phone. It was accessible for everyone, it was portable, you could send text messages, make calls and play a game of Snake - what more could you need? 23 years ago you really didn’t need anything else. The battery lasted for a really long time and the phone itself was virtually indestructible. You could also change the front and backplate too so everyone could customise their phone so it was unique to them.
2. BlackBerry 5810
The BlackBerry 5810 was an early example of a smartphone, and was loved by users because it allowed them to send emails on the go. That may be the norm now, but back in 2002 when this phone was released, it wasn’t and this was a game changer. For the first time, people could take their work with them wherever they went. However, you did still have to plug in a separate headset to make and receive calls, there was no built-in microphone and speaker.
3. Motorola RAZR V3
Up until the release of this phone in 2004, the main focus for phone companies was functionality, not appearance. But, the Motorola RAZR V3, which was a flip phone, was smart and sleek. It was the thinnest phone on the market at the time and its popularity showed when it was used in many hit films and TV shows in the early 2000s including The Devil Wears Prada and Prison Break.
4. LG Chocolate
Fans of this phone loved the LG Chocolate for one main reason when it was released in 2006, the colours it was available in - brown, black, white and pink. It was one of the first phones to be available in pink too, and people couldn’t get enough of it. Plus, as the name indicates, when you opened the box this device was sold in you could actually smell chocolate which was divine. Many phones are now available in a variety of colours to please a broad customer base.