Motorola StarTAC - wikipedia Motorola StarTAC Motorola StarTAC A GSM Motorola StarTAC Manufacturer Motorola Compatible networks AMPS, cdmaOne, TDMA, GSM First released January 3, 1996 ; 22 years ago ( 1996 - 01 - 03 ) Predecessor Motorola MicroTAC series Successor Motorola RAZR 94 mm × 55 mm × 19 mm ( 130 ) Weight 88 g Display Digital : LCD AMPS ( Analog ) : Segment LED, Alphanumeric LED The Motorola StarTAC is a clamshell mobile phone manufactured by Motorola. It was released on January 3, 1996, being the first ever clamshell / flip mobile phone. The StarTAC is the successor of the MicroTAC, a semi-clamshell design that had been launched in 1989. Whereas the MicroTAC 's shell folded down from below the keypad, the StarTAC folded up from above the display. In 2005, PC World put StarTAC at # 6 in The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years. The StarTAC was among the first mobile phones to gain widespread consumer adoption ; approximately 60 million StarTACs were sold. Contents 1 Release 2 Key features 3 StarTAC 2004 4 StarTAC III 5 Model list 6 Lekki 7 See also 8 References Release 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. Many MicroTAC owners switched to this particular model due to its compact size and light weight. 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. First Generation StarTAC Key features Some key features of the Motorola StarTAC were : SMS text messages, although only the later digital models had the capability to send messages. Introduced clamshell design 88 grams ( 3.1 ounces ) It could use an optional lithium - ion battery, at a time when most phones were restricted to lower capacity NiMH batteries Was one of the first cellular phones to introduce vibrate alert as an alternative to a ringtone. Featured a persistent flashing green indicator to indicate that the device had a network connection. High - end models featured a built - in answering machine. StarTAC 2004 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2016 ) The StarTAC name was revived in 2004 for a new model designed for the South Korean market. It had : A 128 × 160 262,000 TFT Color LCD 64 - channel sound A Mobile Banking feature supported by SK Telecom A 2,800 - entry contact book 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 by announcing the StarTAC III on February 27, 2007. 2 - inch QVGA display GPS MP3 support 128 MB built - in memory Model list Analog phones StarTAC 3000 StarTAC 6000 StarTAC 6500 StarTAC 8500 StarTAC 8600 Digital phones StarTAC 70 StarTAC 75 - GSM 1800 StarTAC 75 + StarTAC 80 StarTAC 85 - GSM 900 StarTAC 130 - GSM 900 StarTAC 7000g - GSM 1900 StarTAC 8000g - GSM 1900 StarTAC Rainbow ST7760 ( AMPS / TDMA ) ST7762 ( AMPS / TDMA ) ST7790 ( AMPS / TDMA ) 80071WNBPA ( FCC IHDT5VG1 ) AMPS / TDMA ( 832 / 2412 MHz ) ST7797 ( Tri Mode / Dual Band 800 / 1900 MHz. TDMA / 800 MHz. AMPS ) ST7860 ( Dual Mode / Single Band 800 MHz. cdmaOne / AMPS ) ST7867w ( Dual Mode / Dual Band 1900 MHz. cdmaOne / 800 MHz. AMPS ) ST7868 ( Tri Mode / Dual Band 800 / 1900 MHz. cdmaOne / 800 MHz. AMPS ) ST7890 ( Tri Mode TDMA ? ) ST7897 ( Dual Band TDMA ) StarTAC 2004 StarTAC III Lekki In October 2010, French company Lekki, who revamp iconic and vintage products from the 1990s, refurbished StarTACs in new colorful covers. They are selling it for € 220. See also Motorola DynaTAC References Jump up ^ Matt Hickey ( 27 February 2007 ). `` StarTAC III : Back on the Streets ''. TechCrunch. AOL. ^ Jump up to : Tynan, Dan ( 2005 - 12 - 24 ). `` The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years ''. PC World. p. 2. Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Motorola introduces ultra lite 5.9 ounce cellular telephone - MicroTac Ultra Lite Telephone '' ( Press release ). Mobile Phone News ; PBI Media ; Gale Group. 1992 - 02 - 10. Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 10. ^ Jump up to : `` The smallest cell phone ''. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 1996 - 01 - 04. Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 10. Jump up ^ Ha, Peter ( October 25, 2010 ). `` All - Time 100 Gadgets : Motorola StarTAC ''. Time Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2016. Jump up ^ Baguley, Richard ( May 31, 2013 ). `` The Gadget We Miss : The Motorola StarTAC ''. Retrieved August 1, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Motorola StarTAC Cellular Phone ''. Integrated Electronics Engineering Center. August 1996. Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 10. Jump up ^ Motorola throws back, unveils StarTac III MS900 Jump up ^ `` Motorola StarTAC 75 ''. Jump up ^ `` Motorola StarTAC 85 ''. Jump up ^ `` Motorola StarTAC 130 ''. Jump up ^ Kat Hannaford. `` The Motorola StarTAC is Back, in Yellow ''. Gizmodo. Gawker Media. Jump up ^ `` Lekki - Vintage mobile phones and consoles ''. Lekki. Archived from the original on 2013 - 05 - 27. hide Motorola phones and smartphones by series 4LTR AURA ( R ) FONE ( F ) KRZR ( K ) MING ( A1680 ) PEBL ( U ) RAZR ( V, VE ) RAZR ( V ) RAZR ( V ) RIZR ( Z ) ROKR ( E, EM, W, Z, ZN ) SLVR ( L ) ZINE ( ZN ) A760 A780 A835 A845 A910 A920 A925 A1000 Android smartphones Atrix 4G Atrix 2 Atrix HD Backflip Calgary Charm Citrus CLIQ / DEXT CLIQ XT / DEXT XT Cliq2 / DEXT2 DEFY Devour Motorola RAZR i Electrify Flipout i1 Milestone XT701 Milestone XT720 Ming A1680 Force Z2 Force Moto Maxx Moto Turbo Photon 4G Photon Q Triumph Moto Moto C / Moto C Plus Moto E 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Moto G 2013 2014 2015 Turbo Edition 2016 2017 2018 Moto X 2013 2014 Pro Style Pure Edition Play Force 2017 Moto M Moto Z Play Z2 Play Droid Droid / Milestone Droid Bionic Droid 2 / Milestone 2 Droid Maxx & Ultra Droid Maxx 2 Droid Mini Droid Pro / Xprt Droid RAZR Droid RAZR HD Droid RAZR M Droid Turbo Droid Turbo 2 Droid X Droid 2 Droid X2 Droid 3 Droid 4 Android tablets XOOM XOOM Family Edition Droid Xyboard / XOOM 2 C115 C168 / C168i C300 C331 C332 C333 C350 C550 C139 C620 C385 C390 cd / d cd160 cd920 cd930 d520 E365 E398 E550 E680 E770 E815 / E816 E1000 i i710 i860 i870 i920 / i930 i880 i455 / i450 i9 i680 i1000plus i58sr i1 International 3200 3300 M3188 M3288 M3588 M3688 M3788 M3888 MPx MPx200 MPx220 Others Accompli SlimLite Talkabout ( T180, T190, T191 ) Timeport Q Q Q8 Q9h Q9c Q9m Q11 T720 TAC DynaTAC MicroTAC StarTAC V V50 V60i V66i V180 V188 V190 V220 V235 V265 V276 V325 V360 V400 V500 V525 V535 V551 V557 V600 V620 V635 V710 V980 V3688 VE VE538 VE66 W156 / W160 W175 / W180 W181 W206 / W213 W220 W230 W270 W370 W375 W377 W385 W490 W510 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Motorola_StarTAC&oldid=849421255 '' Categories : Motorola mobile phones Mobile phones introduced in 1996 Computer - related introductions in 1996 Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from September 2010 Articles needing additional references from December 2016 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Español Français Հայերեն Português Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 8 July 2018, at 22 : 02 ( UTC ). 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Question: when did the first motorola flip phone come out
Answer: January 3, 1996