Motorola's cell phones: Four decades of wireless phone calls

Apr. 3, 1973: By 1973 Motorola demonstrated a prototype DynaTAC (DYNamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage) portable radiotelephone cellular system. A low-power handset was a fundamental element of the system. (Motorola)

Dynatac engineering team, 1972-1973 (Motorola)

Sep. 21, 1983: The world's first commercial handheld cellular phone, the Motorola DynaTAC phone, received approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on September 21, 1983. The 28-ounce (794-gram) phone became available to consumers in 1984. (Motorola)

Motorola designer Rudy Krolopp with five Motorola Dynatac portable cellure phone prototypes, 1983 (Motorola)

Family of portable cellular phones, 1985 (Motorola)

Motorola Microtac portable cellular telephone, 1989 (Motorola)

Motorola Microtac ultra lite cellular phone, 1992 (Motorola)

Motorola Iden digital radio, 1994 (Motorola)

Motorola Startac wearable phone, 1996 (Motorola)

Motorola Timeport L7089 cellular phone, 1999 (Motorola)

Motorola V. Series V8160 digital cellular phones, 2000 (Motorola)

Motorola Timeport P7389i GPRS cellular phone, left side view, 2000 (Motorola)

Introduced in 2001, the Motorola V60 digital phone included Internet and text message capabilities, a phone and date book, a voice recorder to capture personal reminders and an FM stereo radio receiver. (Motorola)

Motorola's first 3G (third-generation) cellular phone, the A830 model, was introduced in 2002. It allowed users to make voice calls while sending or receiving data, and to take and send images and short video clips. (Motorola)

The Motorola PEBL captured attention for its innovative form with rounded edges, a vertical external display and unique dual-hinge mechanism for effortless, one-hand opening. (Motorola)

MOTORAZR V3 cellular phone, left quarter view, 2004. More than 110 million units have been sold worldwide to date, making RAZR an icon and one of the most popular cell phones of all time. (Motorola)

MOTO Q debuts as the thinnest QWERTY device in June, 2006, at only 11.5 mm. (Motorola)

Motorola MING A1200 portable cellular phone, closed view, 2006. Motorola introduced the MING touch screen smart phone in Asia in 2006. It used advanced handwriting software to recognize more than 10,000 handwritten characters of the Chinese alphabet. (Motorola)

A sleeker, smarter, stronger RAZR2 debuts. The CrystalTalk technology allows users to hear and be heard. (Motorola)