StarTAC

Uncommon card · No. 146424

The StarTAC is a series of flip phones developed and marketed by Motorola beginning in 1996. The first notable clamshell-style cellular mobile phone, the original StarTAC model was the smallest and lightest cell phone on release, being no larger than a pager and weighing only 3.1 ounces (88 g) in its lightest configuration. Officially, Motorola marketed the StarTACs as "wearable". The StarTAC's groundbreaking design was a development from Motorola's 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. While often cited as the world's first clamshell/flip cell phone, NEC of Japan had already developed and released such a cell phone as early as 1991. Nevertheless, the StarTAC is considered the first example of a luxurious or fashionable cell phone. The earliest StarTAC models were made for analog AMPS networks while later digital GSM models were made for various markets, and the...

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