Exactly half a century ago, a researcher went outside with what we would call a “brick” today and made history by becoming the first person to make a phone call from a mobile device. Marty Cooper from Motorola is an engineer who made history and named his rival.

50 years since the day of the first call from a mobile phonePhoto: Motorola

The prototype phone weighed about 2kg, and the call was made from Sixth Avenue in New York while passers-by watched as Cooper spoke into the surprisingly large speakerphone. The caller was an acquaintance of Cooper’s from Bell Laboratories, a rival company that made car phones.

Americans had been carrying phones in their cars since the 50s, but they were heavy and in no way compared to a mobile phone that you can carry around the house and wherever you go.

From prototype to series production, the robot took a long time, and the weight was reduced by three times in ten years, from the first prototype to the first product released on the market.

The commercial version of this phone was released in 1984, so 11 years later it was called the Dynatac 8000X and cost the equivalent of $11,000 in today’s dollars. That commercial model weighed 790 grams, it took ten hours to charge, and you could talk for half an hour on it.

So, that first phone was 5-6 times heavier than today’s cell phones, with NO camera, internet, or any super processor.

And Motorola, which currently does not have a large market share, but has done a lot to develop the segment, made a statement about the anniversary.

One of the most important moments in the history of mobile technology came exactly 50 years ago, on April 3, 1973, when Martin Cooper, former vice president and director of research and development at Motorola, used a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X to make the first mobile phone call. of the world, from Sixth Avenue in New York. This step was a turning point for society, as communication became more accessible and users no longer had to depend on landlines.

“When I made my first cell phone call on April 3, 1973, I knew it was just the beginning, that Motorola and the cell phone industry were revolutionizing personal communication,” said Martin Cooper.