The Motorola StarTAC, first released on 3 January 1996, is the first ever clamshell mobile phone. The StarTAC is the successor of the MicroTAC, a semi-clamshell design first launched in 1989. Whereas the MicroTAC's flip folded down from below the keypad, the StarTAC folded up from above the display. In 2005, PC World named the StarTAC as the 6th Greatest Gadget of the Past 50 Years. The StarTAC was among the first mobile phones to gain widespread consumer adoption; approximately 60 million StarTACs were sold. 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.
History
Motorola applied for the StarTAC trademark name in September 1995. The StarTAC was unveiled in North America on January 3, 1996. Then the smallest cell phone available, this AMPS phone was an immediate success. Successor TDMA and cdmaOne StarTACs were equally popular. GSM models were available in North America through Powertel, VoiceStream and other early GSM carriers. The StarTAC, which closely resembles Star Trek's Communicator, remained popular until the early 2000s, appearing in many Hollywood movies of the period such as 8mm starring Nicolas Cage. During its initial launch, magazine ads for the phone would include an actual size cardboard facsimile that could be pulled from the page to demonstrate the diminutive nature of the device. The Motorola StarTAC mobile phone was introduced at the price of $1000. Key features included:
The ability to receive SMS text messages, although only the later digital models had the capability to send messages.
A weight of approximately 88 grams
An optional lithium-ion battery, at a time when most phones were restricted to lower capacity NiMH batteries
In October 2010, the now defunct French company Lekki, which refurbished iconic vintage products from the 1990s, released a line of refurbished StarTACs in new colourful bodies for €220 each.
In addition, a version with an 18K gold directional keypad and brightwork was released as StarTAC 2004 SE. The regular edition was released without the Mobile Banking function as the Motorola V628 in China. The 18K gold edition remained Korea-only.
StarTAC III
Motorola once again revived the StarTAC brand with the StarTAC III, announced on February 27, 2007.
All analogue StarTACs feature LED displays as per Motorola tradition.
StarTAC 3000
The base model, which lacks the side volume controls, the smart button, and the contacts for an auxiliary battery. Also the only StarTAC model with a segmented LED display, as opposed to dot matrix LED displays found on other models.
StarTAC 6000
StarTAC 6500
StarTAC 8500
The original StarTAC model, launched in 1996.
StarTAC 8600
Released in 1997, it included a built-in answering machine and a voice recorder with a recording capacity of 4 minutes.
GSM phones
No dual-band GSM 900/1800 StarTACs were ever produced, although there were two such MicroTAC phones released in 1997 and 1998.
StarTAC 70, 75, 75+, 80, 85, 90, Rainbow
The 70 and 80 series StarTACs are cosmetically identical, though the 80 series models were released with a different operating system and a different display. The StarTac 80 has a dot matrix graphics display. The StarTac 70 series has only a two line text display. The StarTAC 75 is the only GSM 1800 model of the entire range. The StarTAC 70 was also sold in a multi-coloured edition, popularly known as the StarTAC Rainbow.
StarTAC 130
The StarTAC 130, a GSM 900 phone, took mini-SIM cards. The cosmetically identical StarTAC X was sold in Asian markets.
