I remember vividly when my dad got the StarTAC. I thought it was so cool. I was so happy for him and I was like proud of him for the purchase. I think he knew I wanted him to get it. I wonder how much the purchase was just to impress me, or to have something to talk about, if only for a minute. I liked the idea of my dad being tech savvy. We had built a computer together way back when, and maybe he was trying to keep the tech vibes going. I never really knew. A year or so later, he suddenly passed away, and I remember coming back home to an empty house and his keys, wallet, and StarTAC were still sitting on the table like he would be right back, like he wasn't really gone. Sorry for the sad story. The StarTAC was dope and so was my father.
My dad and I had similar tech synchronicity: he bought his Samsung SCH-2500 just weeks after I brought home my own 3500, and it was fun to share tips and tricks about the menus and calling functions! Sorry to hear of your father's early passing, but heartened to hear that you were able to share so much with him - tech and otherwise - while he was here. Thanks for sharing this: it reinforces my belief that these things are more than phones; they're touchstones marking important eras in our lives.
Also to this video just how GREATLY tech evolution... and how much cheaper it got... for a time anyway. They say that the prices raising is also due to the lack of innovation in the market
exactly, I recently got a new phone for my grandma and got the Nokia 6070 she was using (which was mine in 2007). It doesn't have bluetooth or usb, it uses the pop-port and had an infrared port. The memories of using it and connecting it to my PC via the CA-42 serial cable and all the problems I had haha Phones have gone a huge mile ahead indeed. Love these series, keep 'em coming :)
I was thinking this myself soon as I saw the PDA accessory. My dad had this phone around late 97 from his work(welder, and mechanic for a well drilling company so he was always on call), and the only things I knew they made for it, where the crappy leather cases he had, and then a ugly plastic belt clip he had on his pants next to his EDC knife, and massive set of work/personal keys on a janitor style key clip.
That clip on PDA was just a Franklin/Roladex REX organizer. I had one back in the day and immediately recognized the interface. The REX was built into a laptop PCMCIA card. making it about the size of a credit card. And to sync it with a pc you just popped it into a win95 laptop or into the doc that connected via serial port to a desktop pc. The thing was WAY ahead of its time for sure. Never knew it was adapted fot the StarTAC.
The click of the StarTAC closing is just an iconic sound. Like the sound of the early phone based modems, they are sounds of the 90s that can’t be forgotten
Part of what's great about his videos is that he's excellent at composing and editing shots. I've always enjoyed that about his stuff ever since the Pocketnow days.
My very first phone was a Motorola StarTAC 8500 , back in 1998. It was handed down from my father, who switched to a Samsung 411 with the new CDMA technology. I has two extended batteries, one flat one and one monster battery that attached to the back of the phone just like that PDA you showed, so I could be all day (and more) without a charger. I love that "Beam me up, Scotty!" vibe, specially when most of my friends were rocking TeleTACs (the smaller brick, it was like the MicroTAC, but without the flip). I switched a couple of tears later to my father's Samsung 411, when he switched to the smaller Samsung 620. It was like that until I could buy my own phones (the first I bought was a Motorola v810, If I'm not mistaken).
I was kind of the same way with the older phones only thinking today's phones were the bee's knees. And I realized old phones had as stated "quirks" to them and I kept watching.
@@TheMrMobile I like to have 2 Black ⚫ Motorola StarTac phones and Rainbow 🌈 Color Red, Regular Blue, Yellow and Green Motorola StarTac phone. And that means 3 Motorola StarTac phones , if you please 😀. Here in Muscatine, Iowa. I'm James McCormick.
YEP, that really is Michael's "secret sauce" -- his acquired tech knowledge & experience, the research he does, and his terrific storytelling. Arguably the best scripts, voice, and editing in the tech UA-cam space. He may not be the Tony Stark we need, but he's def the one we actually _want_ 😁
The Korean version was part of a programme called The Icons. The four phones were Razor, Pebble, Tattoo and Retro. This was before Razor became Razr (legal action). Retro was the Startac reboot driven by the trend for things like the new VW Beetle. It was supposed to have US and GSM versions. They were market segmented. Razor was for men, Pebble for women and Tattoo for kids. Then when Razr was a huge hit nothing else had any traction. While I worked on the strategy for Icons I've never seen the Korean phone that shipped so thank you for that Michael.
Thanks for the added insight, Simon! Had no idea there were three other models as a part of the same program. Mobile phone history really does seem bottomless at times.
Thanks for including our subreddit in the "special thanks" section, we're flattered! It's always a pleasure helping you do some research for upcoming #whenphoneswerefun episodes. This series is, without a doubt, one of the most professional and detailed programs about old phones. Belated congratulations on 1 Million subscribers! Sincerely, _ITX_
Ha! You're not wrong. Related: tons of people immediately assume the 1:1 "Star Trek -> StarTAC" inspiration, and it might be there, but I was surprised to remember that the TAC branding predated this handset by like 12 years.
@@TheMrMobile Michael, that "TAC" feature was no joke, and bailed me out on one of the worst days in this country's history. Let me explain... About three months after I bought my StarTAC (an AT&T version almost identical to your brother's), 9/11 hit us hard here in the NYC area. I was working across the Hudson in NJ (and still live in the area); they let us leave early but, after driving a couple of colleagues home to the Newark area (public transportation had been shut down), I wasn't allowed to return home because the Turnpike exits had been ordered closed. While many Tri-Staters complained of "no signal" on their cellphones that horrible day, I was able to take call after call on my car-charged StarTAC from worried out-of-town friends checking on me. But I began to fear that I'd have to sleep in my car because local hotels & motels I called were all booked solid. Finally, I reached a central NJ friend who invited me to come crash at his place until things normalized. TL;DR: Total Area Coverage came through when I needed it most. If you ever talk to that Moto engineer again, PLEASE thank him for me for making such a reliable handset ! 🙏🏻😃🖖🏻
Whenever I see videos about any old Motorola cellular device, I immediately remember some of the fondest memories with my father. I remember teaching him how to send SMS using his phone and how we compare our phones (I owned a Nokia during the time). Motorola was the only brand of cellular he ever owned. I miss my father everyday, and 11 yrs after he passed, I still smile whenever I see a Motorola phone, let alone watching videos about the brand.
Me too 😁 My only complaint was that occasionally, my shirt sleeve or a laptop bag's strap would get caught on the dayum antenna (stubby though it was). 🤣
fun fact .i helped build the benneton tacs. I worked for motorola in 1998-2001 in their scottish factory in Bathgate . They where made in secret and stored in buldlank boxes so no one could leak them . great job.
The only tech reviewer who has some sort of culture and ability to write exciting prose. While others get too lost in the thingamzigs, this guy reminds why techs are fun in the context of time.... Good stuff
This brings back memories. I was 12 and the cell phone salesman in our family store and the star tac and the nokia 918 were the phones I sold all day long 💕 along with those crappy cases. I still have boxes of those somewhere 🤪
I work in a marketing agency that does training materials for certain cellphone brand. I love to watch this series, hear the specs for these and see how things have changed
I loved loved loved my StarTAC, one of my favorite phones ever. I still have mine, it came with the Mercedes S-Class I owned at the time back in the day. My MicroTAC Elite might have been my second favorite phone I have owned. Phones were so much cooler back then.
@@TheMrMobile I had a Timeport too back in the day, the StarTACs ugly brother/cousin. LOL Those were the good old days of $1,000 a month cellphone bills, one of my friends was into that multi-level scam stuff, forgot which one and he had bills that were $900 plus a month all the time.
@@venom5809 Oof. Yeah, I did one of those semi-shady sales jobs for a summer and it definitely attracted the kind of folks who wanted the flashiest phone on the block. Weirdly, not a lot of StarTACs in that office though ... mostly Samsung SCH-8500s and Qualcomm Q Phones (the flat candybar one, not the flip in this video).
You are both an excellent filmmaker as well as an excellent reviewer. Love these little revisits to my childhood/adolescence that I was a bit too young to remember clearly, but also recall easily when showed.
This video brought back the start for my love of mobile technology. This was my first phone when I was 17 with now non existent carrier cellular one . The phone was built so well we still have it today . As always I enjoyed the content , keep up the good work sir !
I absolutely love this series. A fantastic mix of nostalgia and a genuinely useful look back at the kinds of things phones have always been trying to do, regardless of the limitations of their day.
This entire series should be in the museum itself showcasing and informing users about how did we get where we are now. Calling it remarkable would be understatement. I haven't used phone or my family those era phones as at the time only US/UK was advanced enough to get the new age innovation. But man I can really feel the nostalgia without ever having lived in that era.
The vibrate mode will always be my memory of the StarTac. I got my father one of these because they were so durable and he was owner operator of a sawmill. When I set it up for him, I put it on vibrate because it is so loud at work. My father is deadly afraid of bees, not alergic just scared. I swing by his work the next day only to hear tales of my dad running across the lumber yard beating the crap out of himself and stripping clothes off thinking he had a bee inside his layers of clothing. This story still lives on today every time I get him a new phone, and remind him its just vibrate mode,lol.
@@TheMrMobile Wow I thought I was a cleaning freak. :D I never let anyone touch my stuff without washing their hands. My phone, laptop and especially my IEM'S. I always keep them clean.
@@mehmetgurdal IEMS/Earbuds are one thing I don't share with anyone, and headphones from my modest collection I only share with my girlfriend. just thinking about someone else's ear gunk makes me want to 🤢🤮
@@TheMrMobile You dont want to see my fold 2. Ive dropped it 4 times in 3 months like a fool and its got dents in all 4 corners now and on the fold mechanism.
@@lg-spook my Motorola E6 plus has already dropped several times on the ground, dropped from a height of 2 meters, fell 2 times into the toilet and is still working somehow with just a slight crack in the corner of the screen.
No way! That was my first cellphone back in 2000, I remember me and my mother had to go to the phone company offices here in Mexico, we had to leave the phone there for two days to get activated, and then it was a blast, I remember at school it was like having something magical in your hands lol Great times and great memories
Awesome video as per usual. A masterclass in nostalgia. My first phone was a mitsubishi trium and then the Philips savvy. The startac was the phone i wanted but couldn't afford here in Ireland. That brought me way back to 99. Thank you 🖖
My father had 3 models (gsm) with the first having the entire card holding the SIM being shoved in the back of the phone. Then the next ones only the sim. He had 3 models, I had those models each time he moved to the nest one. In the end he ended up with the original razr which he adored. I finally was able to afford and gift him a razr 5G last Christmas. It brought tears of joy to his eyes, it’s his precious. Thank you Motorola for creating this very heartfelt moment through your phones. Man I miss those starTAC phones and their clicking sound.
Back in 1996, I was the only kid in my school, hell my entire neighborhood, that had a cell phone. My dad had one assigned from work, but he refused to use it and in protest, let me take it and use it daily. I don't want to say that it was the catalyst of my popularity, but being able to be contacted and the ability to be available 24/7 on a phone was a game changer. I had opportunities to earn money that others did not have as well. I definitely have an appreciation for throwback phones and how they changed communication in our world.
The MicroTAC was my first cell phone, but I only had it for a few years in the Midwest until I moved to LA in '98 and promptly got a StarTAC on Sprint. I rocked the StarTAC way, way longer than I'd like to admit, and when I finally traded up it was to the KRZR K1M (which was my all time favorite cell phone thus far.) Love this series, Michael! Thank you!
I just want to say thank you for introducing me to my new phone, the Motorola razr 5g. I seriously needed a new phone as my old galaxy s5 wasn't doing too great, a phone I've been using since 2015. Was talking to some coworkers about our old phones we had as kids, so my nostalgia was high. I go home, randomly get recommended your channel, and discover your review. I decide I need to have that phone, but alas, it's out of my price range. The next day, I go to best buy, browsing some phones and stuff, when I see the razr, and by some miracle, they have an open box model that's 50% off due to light scratches on the screen. It's even in the metallic gray. So naturally, I bought it, and a month later I couldn't be happier with it. It's the most fun I've had with a phone since my samsung rugby. Once again, thank you for introducing me to the best phone I'll ever own
Outstanding! The Razr 5G is the best blend of modern and throwback for folks like you (and me) so I'm glad you scored a deal - and in the right color, no less! Enjoy it ... just be careful not to drop it. It looks like metal, but never forget that it's glass. :)
@@TheMrMobilethat's why I didn't start using it until I had a case. Funny story, exactly one week after having it I dropped it, right into my dog's water bowl. It landed right on the top edge and thankfully bounced right out, but it still got a good splash. Nearly shit my pants thinking I just bricked it, but it survived with only minor damage to the case. Of all the places to land, that's where it had to go lol.
Thank you for these series, Michael, a great way to travel back in time. Imagine buying phone without research about it's processor, ram memory, early reviews, leaks...it was kinda fun.
I had never heard about this phone in the Indian market. The phones did come eventually and it's great to know the history of such designs. Your series are really insightful and it's great to see.
I just want to say that I love this channel. Especially this series. The thoughtfulness and research is awesome and the presentation is entertaining. Its like a mobile phone version of the toys that made us...And i can't get enough. Keep up the great work!!!
Michael, your content is probably the best among all the other UA-cam reviewers. This series is quite interesting and educational. Others are just blabbering and giving opinions on what they have received from companies wanting to promote stuff. I have been following you right from Pocketnow. Pretty cool. 👍🏻
I loved my Startac back in the day. It's also the first phone that I had with a nice contact number, one I've retained till today. Thus, will never forget it.
That takes me back! I recall that while heading to work, giving some guy a wide berth as it appeared he was talking to himself, so others were also avoiding him. Suddenly he turned and the collective "Wow! What's that!??? We then waited until he finished his call and we all oohed and ahhed. . . as a clerk in a law firm that was waaaaaay outside of my budget, but it was something we all pined for -- it was very Trek! Thanks again for a great video and memory! Back to my same old rectangle. . .
What a fantastic video that features my favorite mobile phone company of all time. I too own the smaller version of the StarTAC, in Australia, they were called "StarTAC X" version. I have it still in my bedside table, refusing to give it up to the second hand market no matter the price. Although it no longer works now a days, it often reminds me of the days when mobile phones... were fun.
back in high school, I only had a TeleTAC, while two classmates had StarTACs. It felt like they were driving a Mercedes, while I was driving a Trabant 😂
My grandparents had this phone for a decade before upgrading to the then current iPhone 3GS, remember calling my parents from the top of Mt. Washington on one of these
IMO the iPhone 3GS was the real gamechanger in the history of phones. The first two iPhones were the big innovators but they were also kinda lame. The 3gs was where it came out of prototype and kicked ass in function, form and legacy
My GOD that closing click is foley-worthy. I think it’s even better than that tricorder ratchet-style sound. I find it amusing they made battery and signal indicators on the Enterprise communicators, from what you can see on the show I thought it was just a couple of LEDs or was maybe intended to be a little screen. But they’re old-school signal and battery indicators, with the segments in the battery and everything. Wild. (Which reminds me, I recall that being a selling point for Nokia in the early 00s, their battery meter had way more segments and was vertical, so you had a better sense of how long you had left.)
Fantastic video and thanks for mentioning the 'TAC' acronym. Motorola originally used it for their 2-way radio voting comparators beginning in the 1970s and all the way into the 2010s. The Motorola TAC, SpectraTAC, DigiTAC and AstroTAC comparators.
I miss this phone! It was the first cell my parents got for me and it felt like I was living in the future! Also, being plastic I dropped it without care all the time, and the battery lasted a whole day. Thanks for the vid down memory lane. I am writing this comment on a $2k slab of glass, metal and then glass that practically shatters if I drop it sitting on the couch. haha.
Motorola deserves an award for this, the best phone of all time. I enjoyed every bit of the StarTAC and even upgraded to the TimePort, another great phone. I had the accessories as well. I love have they carried over the features from their pagers. Simplistic Fun fun!
I remember having the " mike" phone back in the day. Company phone and it was a tough and rough companion. Crazy to think that I was around as cell phones were introduced and grateful to see them evolve.
This phone is very rare in my country probably due to our different carrier system. Most of us, or at least a generation before me, used either Nokia or Ericsson. And those pesky SIM cards costs about the same as the phone itself lmao.
I remember how excited I was when the first smartphone came out, it was insane.. But honestly, nothing compares to the mid 90's and the beginning of the 2000's phones. It was perfect. God i wish i could go back in time.
Major nostalgia! I didn’t quite have the StarTac. I had a similar Motorola at the time in silver. I loved it so much that when I lost it, I bought another one. 😊
I had the StarTac and a bunch of the accessories. it was a fun phone. I got the bigger battery as well as an external charger for the extra batteries to make sure I always had power. Memories came flooding back when you showed the PDA accessory as I had that. I suppose looking back on it I think it laid the groundwork for the desire for the kind of functionality that smartphones eventually gave us. It’s also probably responsible for a longing for flip phones to make a comeback. I loved the compact nature of the phone.
Dude let's fit few legendary Simens and Sony Ericson model here and there in "When phones were fun" series...Thanks for this throwback...Appreciate the hard work...
I love going back in time to relive the weird, questionable yet iconic/legendary phone moments that shaped, enhanced, and flourish the phones of today.
YEP, the StarTACs friggin rocked for their time. I had the same setup, bought the extended battery and dual charger for it, and later got the clip-on PDA accessory Michael highlighted. About 3 months after I first bought the phone, 9/11 hit. I was right across the Hudson River in north NJ, and after driving a couple work colleagues to their homes (public transportation had been shut down), I was driving all over the area because I wasn't allowed to get back to my home (the turnpike exit had been closed). The StarTAC saved the day, not only as out-of-town friends were calling in to check on me, but esp because I was able to phone a friend in central NJ, who let me crash with him for a couple of days until things normalized (all local hotels & motels were booked solid). Thanks, Motorola !!! 🙏🏻😃
I still use a StarTAC today. GSM versions still work here in the UK. I have every GSM model and a few others. My main one is a 130 with the guts of a M6088 as they get better reception. Managed to track down an original brand new housing for it, network unlocked it and re-celled a few batteries so it's like knew. I actually know StarTACpassion I was speaking with him earlier. I've bought two Lekki editions from him. And you can still use the StarTAC in the US, just not the Verizon/Sprint models. The 7000g and 8000g can still be used on T-Mobile (until they turn off 2G). They're essentially the 75 and 85 respectivly but run on GSM1900 instead of GSM900. Those models are rare and expensive as Motorola sold them direct to consumer only and not through providers; that's why most models in the US are CDMA/TDMA varients. And before anybody asks, the other GSM models will not work in the US as they're mostly GSM900, with a couple being GSM1800 and no provider in the US has those bands.
Me being a old watercooled VW fan, without even seeing the Harequin Golf/Polo reference, that's what it totally reminded me of when you first showed them in the video.
![MrMobile [Michael Fisher]](http://yt3.ggpht.com/Bf8B_79jyHxP6CVnjV5WKws93l9Vxlk0d7aPmcBygTBDKzgsGrpazdJRFUrfg1sUNlo8YX8rji8=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
I remember vividly when my dad got the StarTAC. I thought it was so cool. I was so happy for him and I was like proud of him for the purchase. I think he knew I wanted him to get it. I wonder how much the purchase was just to impress me, or to have something to talk about, if only for a minute. I liked the idea of my dad being tech savvy. We had built a computer together way back when, and maybe he was trying to keep the tech vibes going. I never really knew. A year or so later, he suddenly passed away, and I remember coming back home to an empty house and his keys, wallet, and StarTAC were still sitting on the table like he would be right back, like he wasn't really gone.
Sorry for the sad story. The StarTAC was dope and so was my father.
Sorry for the loss all those years ago.
I'm sure he would be happy that you remember him so dearly
Thank you for the share.
Im so sorry for your lost, heck it made me kinda guilty even tho I didn't do anything I hope you and your family good health
My dad and I had similar tech synchronicity: he bought his Samsung SCH-2500 just weeks after I brought home my own 3500, and it was fun to share tips and tricks about the menus and calling functions! Sorry to hear of your father's early passing, but heartened to hear that you were able to share so much with him - tech and otherwise - while he was here. Thanks for sharing this: it reinforces my belief that these things are more than phones; they're touchstones marking important eras in our lives.
Live long and prosper.
This series has made me appreciate all the effort and the quirks involved with tech back in those days. Crazy how much things have changed!
"Nothing is easy; everything is hard."
Also to this video just how GREATLY tech evolution... and how much cheaper it got... for a time anyway.
They say that the prices raising is also due to the lack of innovation in the market
I’m old enough to remember the mushy feel of the buttons on my dad’s brick phone. This series is a trip down memory lane.
Man, what I'd do to go back to that time! Great video as always!
exactly, I recently got a new phone for my grandma and got the Nokia 6070 she was using (which was mine in 2007). It doesn't have bluetooth or usb, it uses the pop-port and had an infrared port. The memories of using it and connecting it to my PC via the CA-42 serial cable and all the problems I had haha Phones have gone a huge mile ahead indeed. Love these series, keep 'em coming :)
That PDA accessory is essentially a Moto Mod years before Moto Mods were a thing for the Moto Z
Damn, missed opportunity for me to make this point in the VO. Haha
I was thinking this myself soon as I saw the PDA accessory. My dad had this phone around late 97 from his work(welder, and mechanic for a well drilling company so he was always on call), and the only things I knew they made for it, where the crappy leather cases he had, and then a ugly plastic belt clip he had on his pants next to his EDC knife, and massive set of work/personal keys on a janitor style key clip.
@@TheMrMobile bit recent but Moto Mods and their phones definitely fit the "fun phones" bill.
That clip on PDA was just a Franklin/Roladex REX organizer. I had one back in the day and immediately recognized the interface. The REX was built into a laptop PCMCIA card. making it about the size of a credit card. And to sync it with a pc you just popped it into a win95 laptop or into the doc that connected via serial port to a desktop pc. The thing was WAY ahead of its time for sure. Never knew it was adapted fot the StarTAC.
Another "when phones were fun video"??! Just what I needed.
Gotta say this is one hell of a underrated channel! Wish you had a billion subs.
Motorola US : No! You can't just make a colourful StarTac
Motorola EU : *Das Auto*
Best comment ever.
The click of the StarTAC closing is just an iconic sound. Like the sound of the early phone based modems, they are sounds of the 90s that can’t be forgotten
I don't know why, but I just enjoy Michael videos than any other UA-camr, the editing is so fun and entertaining to watch, fantastic content!
Part of what's great about his videos is that he's excellent at composing and editing shots. I've always enjoyed that about his stuff ever since the Pocketnow days.
My very first phone was a Motorola StarTAC 8500 , back in 1998. It was handed down from my father, who switched to a Samsung 411 with the new CDMA technology. I has two extended batteries, one flat one and one monster battery that attached to the back of the phone just like that PDA you showed, so I could be all day (and more) without a charger. I love that "Beam me up, Scotty!" vibe, specially when most of my friends were rocking TeleTACs (the smaller brick, it was like the MicroTAC, but without the flip).
I switched a couple of tears later to my father's Samsung 411, when he switched to the smaller Samsung 620. It was like that until I could buy my own phones (the first I bought was a Motorola v810, If I'm not mistaken).
I've always found phones intensly boring, but your content has made me realise there's a lot to love about them and their history
Very glad to hear this!
I was kind of the same way with the older phones only thinking today's phones were the bee's knees. And I realized old phones had as stated "quirks" to them and I kept watching.
@@TheMrMobile I like to have 2 Black ⚫ Motorola StarTac phones and Rainbow 🌈 Color Red, Regular Blue, Yellow and Green Motorola StarTac phone. And that means 3 Motorola StarTac phones , if you please 😀. Here in Muscatine, Iowa. I'm James McCormick.
Mr. Mobile videos are always so well written. It's like reading a really good article and feel so inspired and satisfied after reading it.
YEP, that really is Michael's "secret sauce" -- his acquired tech knowledge & experience, the research he does, and his terrific storytelling. Arguably the best scripts, voice, and editing in the tech UA-cam space.
He may not be the Tony Stark we need, but he's def the one we actually _want_ 😁
The Korean version was part of a programme called The Icons. The four phones were Razor, Pebble, Tattoo and Retro. This was before Razor became Razr (legal action). Retro was the Startac reboot driven by the trend for things like the new VW Beetle. It was supposed to have US and GSM versions. They were market segmented. Razor was for men, Pebble for women and Tattoo for kids. Then when Razr was a huge hit nothing else had any traction. While I worked on the strategy for Icons I've never seen the Korean phone that shipped so thank you for that Michael.
Thanks for the added insight, Simon! Had no idea there were three other models as a part of the same program. Mobile phone history really does seem bottomless at times.
Thanks for including our subreddit in the "special thanks" section, we're flattered! It's always a pleasure helping you do some research for upcoming #whenphoneswerefun episodes. This series is, without a doubt, one of the most professional and detailed programs about old phones. Belated congratulations on 1 Million subscribers! Sincerely, _ITX_
Thanks ITX! So happy the subreddit exists; one of my very favorite places on Reddit!
“StarTAC" sounds like the name of a special forces unit from the cheesiest sci-fi fiction imaginable...which is why I like it so much.
Ha! You're not wrong. Related: tons of people immediately assume the 1:1 "Star Trek -> StarTAC" inspiration, and it might be there, but I was surprised to remember that the TAC branding predated this handset by like 12 years.
lol I was thinking more like it sounds like startrek. but that to.
Indeed, specifically it sounds like one of those "Science teams" fro the Ultraman series
Hmmm... now I'm getting ideas :D
@@TheMrMobile Michael, that "TAC" feature was no joke, and bailed me out on one of the worst days in this country's history. Let me explain...
About three months after I bought my StarTAC (an AT&T version almost identical to your brother's), 9/11 hit us hard here in the NYC area. I was working across the Hudson in NJ (and still live in the area); they let us leave early but, after driving a couple of colleagues home to the Newark area (public transportation had been shut down), I wasn't allowed to return home because the Turnpike exits had been ordered closed.
While many Tri-Staters complained of "no signal" on their cellphones that horrible day, I was able to take call after call on my car-charged StarTAC from worried out-of-town friends checking on me. But I began to fear that I'd have to sleep in my car because local hotels & motels I called were all booked solid. Finally, I reached a central NJ friend who invited me to come crash at his place until things normalized.
TL;DR: Total Area Coverage came through when I needed it most. If you ever talk to that Moto engineer again, PLEASE thank him for me for making such a reliable handset ! 🙏🏻😃🖖🏻
Whenever I see videos about any old Motorola cellular device, I immediately remember some of the fondest memories with my father. I remember teaching him how to send SMS using his phone and how we compare our phones (I owned a Nokia during the time). Motorola was the only brand of cellular he ever owned. I miss my father everyday, and 11 yrs after he passed, I still smile whenever I see a Motorola phone, let alone watching videos about the brand.
Great trip down memory lane, Michael. Posted it on our Motorola Reunion Facebook group which boasts 16,000 former Motorolans!
I'm honored! Thanks David!
I had this exact model for my job back in 2002. I had a belt clip for it and no phone has ever been more comfortable to carry on.
Me too 😁 My only complaint was that occasionally, my shirt sleeve or a laptop bag's strap would get caught on the dayum antenna (stubby though it was). 🤣
I remember that HUGE fullsize SIM 'CARD' sliding inside. Aw geez this video brings back memories..
fun fact .i helped build the benneton tacs. I worked for motorola in 1998-2001 in their scottish factory in Bathgate . They where made in secret and stored in buldlank boxes so no one could leak them . great job.
Hey thanks for watching - and for your part in building such an icon! Truly a product to be proud of. Cheers!
The only tech reviewer who has some sort of culture and ability to write exciting prose. While others get too lost in the thingamzigs, this guy reminds why techs are fun in the context of time.... Good stuff
It's a shame there aren't 2 'Thumbs Up' buttons for videos like this. Well-researched, warm, informative and entertaining. Absolute masterclass!
As soon i open UA-cam and see an episode from When Phones Were Fun there is no other video which could stop me from watch Mr Mobile's video.
This brings back memories. I was 12 and the cell phone salesman in our family store and the star tac and the nokia 918 were the phones I sold all day long 💕 along with those crappy cases. I still have boxes of those somewhere 🤪
I work in a marketing agency that does training materials for certain cellphone brand. I love to watch this series, hear the specs for these and see how things have changed
I loved loved loved my StarTAC, one of my favorite phones ever. I still have mine, it came with the Mercedes S-Class I owned at the time back in the day. My MicroTAC Elite might have been my second favorite phone I have owned. Phones were so much cooler back then.
Nice! I've seen a ton of Timeports co-branded with Mercedes but not a StarTAC.
@@TheMrMobile I had a Timeport too back in the day, the StarTACs ugly brother/cousin. LOL
Those were the good old days of $1,000 a month cellphone bills, one of my friends was into that multi-level scam stuff, forgot which one and he had bills that were $900 plus a month all the time.
@@venom5809 Oof. Yeah, I did one of those semi-shady sales jobs for a summer and it definitely attracted the kind of folks who wanted the flashiest phone on the block. Weirdly, not a lot of StarTACs in that office though ... mostly Samsung SCH-8500s and Qualcomm Q Phones (the flat candybar one, not the flip in this video).
You are both an excellent filmmaker as well as an excellent reviewer. Love these little revisits to my childhood/adolescence that I was a bit too young to remember clearly, but also recall easily when showed.
This video brought back the start for my love of mobile technology. This was my first phone when I was 17 with now non existent carrier cellular one . The phone was built so well we still have it today . As always I enjoyed the content , keep up the good work sir !
Oh it's a real video on April 1st, thank God.
I absolutely love this series. A fantastic mix of nostalgia and a genuinely useful look back at the kinds of things phones have always been trying to do, regardless of the limitations of their day.
This entire series should be in the museum itself showcasing and informing users about how did we get where we are now.
Calling it remarkable would be understatement. I haven't used phone or my family those era phones as at the time only US/UK was advanced enough to get the new age innovation. But man I can really feel the nostalgia without ever having lived in that era.
The vibrate mode will always be my memory of the StarTac. I got my father one of these because they were so durable and he was owner operator of a sawmill. When I set it up for him, I put it on vibrate because it is so loud at work. My father is deadly afraid of bees, not alergic just scared. I swing by his work the next day only to hear tales of my dad running across the lumber yard beating the crap out of himself and stripping clothes off thinking he had a bee inside his layers of clothing. This story still lives on today every time I get him a new phone, and remind him its just vibrate mode,lol.
Dad had the StarTAC 3000. He made me wash my hands whenever I asked to look at it.
I ... definitely did the same thing to people when I got my first Galaxy Fold. Your Dad and I would probably get along. 😂
@@TheMrMobile Wow I thought I was a cleaning freak. :D
I never let anyone touch my stuff without washing their hands.
My phone, laptop and especially my IEM'S. I always keep them clean.
@@mehmetgurdal IEMS/Earbuds are one thing I don't share with anyone, and headphones from my modest collection I only share with my girlfriend. just thinking about someone else's ear gunk makes me want to 🤢🤮
@@TheMrMobile You dont want to see my fold 2. Ive dropped it 4 times in 3 months like a fool and its got dents in all 4 corners now and on the fold mechanism.
@@lg-spook my Motorola E6 plus has already dropped several times on the ground, dropped from a height of 2 meters, fell 2 times into the toilet and is still working somehow with just a slight crack in the corner of the screen.
I used to work for GTE in CA in the 90’s, this was my issued phone for several years. Bought a few for personal family phones too.
No way! That was my first cellphone back in 2000, I remember me and my mother had to go to the phone company offices here in Mexico, we had to leave the phone there for two days to get activated, and then it was a blast, I remember at school it was like having something magical in your hands lol
Great times and great memories
When I was a kid I had a toy cellphone that I just now realized was based on one of these. The bulging out battery really gave it away.
My father had this after the MicroTAC, my grade schooler self can't stop playing with it
Awesome video as per usual. A masterclass in nostalgia. My first phone was a mitsubishi trium and then the Philips savvy. The startac was the phone i wanted but couldn't afford here in Ireland. That brought me way back to 99. Thank you 🖖
This is my favorite series to binge watch
Me too I find it so satisfying
My father had 3 models (gsm) with the first having the entire card holding the SIM being shoved in the back of the phone. Then the next ones only the sim. He had 3 models, I had those models each time he moved to the nest one. In the end he ended up with the original razr which he adored. I finally was able to afford and gift him a razr 5G last Christmas. It brought tears of joy to his eyes, it’s his precious. Thank you Motorola for creating this very heartfelt moment through your phones. Man I miss those starTAC phones and their clicking sound.
Back in 1996, I was the only kid in my school, hell my entire neighborhood, that had a cell phone. My dad had one assigned from work, but he refused to use it and in protest, let me take it and use it daily. I don't want to say that it was the catalyst of my popularity, but being able to be contacted and the ability to be available 24/7 on a phone was a game changer. I had opportunities to earn money that others did not have as well. I definitely have an appreciation for throwback phones and how they changed communication in our world.
Ur videos are so satisfying to watch.
You are a gem among all video creators.
Your narration , Voice everything is on point and fun to watch .
The MicroTAC was my first cell phone, but I only had it for a few years in the Midwest until I moved to LA in '98 and promptly got a StarTAC on Sprint. I rocked the StarTAC way, way longer than I'd like to admit, and when I finally traded up it was to the KRZR K1M (which was my all time favorite cell phone thus far.) Love this series, Michael! Thank you!
A knockout so similar that Motorola sued Qualcomm over it after a word from my sponsor
I love this series of videos - I used to sell mobile phones back in 97-2004, and this is just a great trip back in time :)
I just want to say thank you for introducing me to my new phone, the Motorola razr 5g. I seriously needed a new phone as my old galaxy s5 wasn't doing too great, a phone I've been using since 2015. Was talking to some coworkers about our old phones we had as kids, so my nostalgia was high. I go home, randomly get recommended your channel, and discover your review. I decide I need to have that phone, but alas, it's out of my price range. The next day, I go to best buy, browsing some phones and stuff, when I see the razr, and by some miracle, they have an open box model that's 50% off due to light scratches on the screen. It's even in the metallic gray. So naturally, I bought it, and a month later I couldn't be happier with it. It's the most fun I've had with a phone since my samsung rugby. Once again, thank you for introducing me to the best phone I'll ever own
Outstanding! The Razr 5G is the best blend of modern and throwback for folks like you (and me) so I'm glad you scored a deal - and in the right color, no less! Enjoy it ... just be careful not to drop it. It looks like metal, but never forget that it's glass. :)
@@TheMrMobilethat's why I didn't start using it until I had a case. Funny story, exactly one week after having it I dropped it, right into my dog's water bowl. It landed right on the top edge and thankfully bounced right out, but it still got a good splash. Nearly shit my pants thinking I just bricked it, but it survived with only minor damage to the case. Of all the places to land, that's where it had to go lol.
Thank you for these series, Michael, a great way to travel back in time. Imagine buying phone without research about it's processor, ram memory, early reviews, leaks...it was kinda fun.
This has to be my favourite phone from back in the day, that click when you hung up a call was so satisfying.
I had never heard about this phone in the Indian market. The phones did come eventually and it's great to know the history of such designs. Your series are really insightful and it's great to see.
I just want to say that I love this channel. Especially this series. The thoughtfulness and research is awesome and the presentation is entertaining. Its like a mobile phone version of the toys that made us...And i can't get enough. Keep up the great work!!!
i watched this episode countless times, but i always come back to it. well done, mr. mobile!
Michael, your content is probably the best among all the other UA-cam reviewers. This series is quite interesting and educational. Others are just blabbering and giving opinions on what they have received from companies wanting to promote stuff. I have been following you right from Pocketnow. Pretty cool. 👍🏻
I loved my Startac back in the day. It's also the first phone that I had with a nice contact number, one I've retained till today. Thus, will never forget it.
Doesn't matter how advanced and awesome today's technology is. I want one of those and working!
That takes me back! I recall that while heading to work, giving some guy a wide berth as it appeared he was talking to himself, so others were also avoiding him. Suddenly he turned and the collective "Wow! What's that!??? We then waited until he finished his call and we all oohed and ahhed. . . as a clerk in a law firm that was waaaaaay outside of my budget, but it was something we all pined for -- it was very Trek! Thanks again for a great video and memory! Back to my same old rectangle. . .
Dude, I appreciate this video. There's surprisingly not much information about this line of phones! This has been truly enlightening.
What a fantastic video that features my favorite mobile phone company of all time. I too own the smaller version of the StarTAC, in Australia, they were called "StarTAC X" version.
I have it still in my bedside table, refusing to give it up to the second hand market no matter the price. Although it no longer works now a days, it often reminds me of the days when mobile phones... were fun.
I love the writing of these videos. Each one is an experience of its own.
back in high school, I only had a TeleTAC, while two classmates had StarTACs. It felt like they were driving a Mercedes, while I was driving a Trabant 😂
This series bring us back to the past, its just awesome!.
Been loving this series! Thanks Mike!
Mr mobile & Dave 2D are two guys i can listen to talk for hours.....❤️
Two of my fave tech UA-camrs as well 😁👍🏻
I remember the one i had. Using a leather cover, and opening with an one-hand moviment. Great times when phones were fun.
I don’t get why these videos don’t have millions of views .. Great content , great presentation ... keep up on it
Another awesome video, this is one of my favorite series you make. Keep up the good work
This gave me all the feels! I love this series and look forward to every trip down memory lane! Well done 👍🏽
My grandparents had this phone for a decade before upgrading to the then current iPhone 3GS, remember calling my parents from the top of Mt. Washington on one of these
IMO the iPhone 3GS was the real gamechanger in the history of phones.
The first two iPhones were the big innovators but they were also kinda lame. The 3gs was where it came out of prototype and kicked ass in function, form and legacy
My GOD that closing click is foley-worthy. I think it’s even better than that tricorder ratchet-style sound.
I find it amusing they made battery and signal indicators on the Enterprise communicators, from what you can see on the show I thought it was just a couple of LEDs or was maybe intended to be a little screen. But they’re old-school signal and battery indicators, with the segments in the battery and everything. Wild.
(Which reminds me, I recall that being a selling point for Nokia in the early 00s, their battery meter had way more segments and was vertical, so you had a better sense of how long you had left.)
Fantastic video and thanks for mentioning the 'TAC' acronym. Motorola originally used it for their 2-way radio voting comparators beginning in the 1970s and all the way into the 2010s. The Motorola TAC, SpectraTAC, DigiTAC and AstroTAC comparators.
Mr. Mobile is the most refreshing and trustworthy tech content creator out there, Period!
I love this episode. This is what makes this channel so special. Thank you.
I love all your Star Trek references! Classic phones and Star Trek. Your channel is heaven!
I would love a video about the N8. That camera was something I would never see again until the 13mp became the standard and eventually the minimum.
And the 808. Both had cameras that still stand up today.
You remind me of my younger days and I appreciate that. Thank you
Oh, yes. I had one back then. My 3rd mobile ever was StarTAC and I love it even now, what memories ...
Great reserach and another brilliant insight, you really are taking back us in time..lovely video and enjoyed the live chat ...
I miss this phone! It was the first cell my parents got for me and it felt like I was living in the future! Also, being plastic I dropped it without care all the time, and the battery lasted a whole day. Thanks for the vid down memory lane. I am writing this comment on a $2k slab of glass, metal and then glass that practically shatters if I drop it sitting on the couch. haha.
Motorola deserves an award for this, the best phone of all time. I enjoyed every bit of the StarTAC and even upgraded to the TimePort, another great phone. I had the accessories as well. I love have they carried over the features from their pagers. Simplistic Fun fun!
I remember having the " mike" phone back in the day. Company phone and it was a tough and rough companion. Crazy to think that I was around as cell phones were introduced and grateful to see them evolve.
This series always puts a smile on my face
This is sooo inspiring to see how we evolved over time
Continue to love this series Mr. Mobile :)
Love the quote. :) Inspiring.
This phone is very rare in my country probably due to our different carrier system. Most of us, or at least a generation before me, used either Nokia or Ericsson. And those pesky SIM cards costs about the same as the phone itself lmao.
Motorola was not an important player in Europe.
Same in this part of the world as well . I always saw ppl either using Nokia, Samsun or Ericsson until the original razr came along .
Once again .. I am definitely digging these episodes...
I remember how excited I was when the first smartphone came out, it was insane..
But honestly, nothing compares to the mid 90's and the beginning of the 2000's phones.
It was perfect.
God i wish i could go back in time.
How does this only have 220k views, this is such a well made video!
Haven't even watched the video and remember my days at Radioshack...Oh the up's and down's with these.
Major nostalgia! I didn’t quite have the StarTac. I had a similar Motorola at the time in silver. I loved it so much that when I lost it, I bought another one. 😊
My first phone. Ah, the memories. Thank you.
loving the star trek references, Micheal! happy belated "first contact" day!!
I had the StarTac and a bunch of the accessories. it was a fun phone. I got the bigger battery as well as an external charger for the extra batteries to make sure I always had power. Memories came flooding back when you showed the PDA accessory as I had that. I suppose looking back on it I think it laid the groundwork for the desire for the kind of functionality that smartphones eventually gave us. It’s also probably responsible for a longing for flip phones to make a comeback. I loved the compact nature of the phone.
Yep, had a StarTac for almost 10 yrs and the palm pilot, then the Razr, then the iphone. This brings me back!
Dude let's fit few legendary Simens and Sony Ericson model here and there in "When phones were fun" series...Thanks for this throwback...Appreciate the hard work...
Happy belated birthday, man! All the best!
My first mobile phone back in year 2000 is Motorola StarTAC, a gift from my late Dad . I still have it till this day.
That star tac phone and Motorola 2 way pager. Omg, it was a match made in heaven; you had to be there.
I love going back in time to relive the weird, questionable yet iconic/legendary phone moments that shaped, enhanced, and flourish the phones of today.
Wow, 25 Years old! 😳 I used to use the official StarTac belt clip on the car sun visor to hold it.
YEP, the StarTACs friggin rocked for their time. I had the same setup, bought the extended battery and dual charger for it, and later got the clip-on PDA accessory Michael highlighted.
About 3 months after I first bought the phone, 9/11 hit. I was right across the Hudson River in north NJ, and after driving a couple work colleagues to their homes (public transportation had been shut down), I was driving all over the area because I wasn't allowed to get back to my home (the turnpike exit had been closed).
The StarTAC saved the day, not only as out-of-town friends were calling in to check on me, but esp because I was able to phone a friend in central NJ, who let me crash with him for a couple of days until things normalized (all local hotels & motels were booked solid). Thanks, Motorola !!! 🙏🏻😃
Oh yeah! Here it comes!
I still use a StarTAC today. GSM versions still work here in the UK. I have every GSM model and a few others. My main one is a 130 with the guts of a M6088 as they get better reception. Managed to track down an original brand new housing for it, network unlocked it and re-celled a few batteries so it's like knew. I actually know StarTACpassion I was speaking with him earlier. I've bought two Lekki editions from him.
And you can still use the StarTAC in the US, just not the Verizon/Sprint models. The 7000g and 8000g can still be used on T-Mobile (until they turn off 2G). They're essentially the 75 and 85 respectivly but run on GSM1900 instead of GSM900. Those models are rare and expensive as Motorola sold them direct to consumer only and not through providers; that's why most models in the US are CDMA/TDMA varients.
And before anybody asks, the other GSM models will not work in the US as they're mostly GSM900, with a couple being GSM1800 and no provider in the US has those bands.
Me being a old watercooled VW fan, without even seeing the Harequin Golf/Polo reference, that's what it totally reminded me of when you first showed them in the video.
Your outro cemented exactly why I love Motorola.
Had two! Old here! Loved them. Loved flipping them open holding the battery