[FunOnTheNet] Motorola phones then and now

End of an era, beginning of a new:  Google Inc's purchase of Motorola Mobility marks the end of its 81-year story - including its invention of the cellphone in the 1970s, its spectacular success with the Razr phone a few years ago, and then its slide into crisis and now its takeover. Here's a look back at Motorola's landmark mobile devices.   The world's first commercial handheld cellular phone, the Motorola DynaTAC phone, received approval from the US Federal Communications Commission in 1983. Motorola marketed the 794-gram phone to consumers in 1984. The phone was later known as the "brick" when surpassed by lighter, smaller phones.   Motorola industrial product designer Rudy Krolopp helped develop the world's first commercial portable cellular phone, the Motorola DynaTAC phone.   Motorola was the first to introduce a complete line of cellular subscriber products, including the DynaTAC models 2000, 4000 and 6000 family of vehicular phones and the model 8000 family of portable cellular phones.   Motorola introduced the 349-gram MicroTAC personal cellular phone in 1989. The phone was then the smallest and lightest on the market. The phone was also Motorola's first flip-phone, which had a plastic cover that flipped open to reveal its keypad.   Motorola MicroTAC Ultra Lite Classic Gold Edition cellular telephone with a WWII-era Motorola Handie-Talkie model SCR536 portable two-way radio.   In 1994 Motorola introduced iDEN digital radio, the world's first commercial digital radio system that combined paging, data and cellular communications, and voice dispatch in a single radio network and handset. Motorola, in 1994, dominated the global cell market with a 32.5 per cent share, versus Nokia's 21 per cent, according to Gartner.   Digital models of Motorola's pocket-sized StarTAC wearable cellular phone were capable of up to 9,600 bps data transmission when connected to notebook computer modems were launched in 1996.   The Motorola Timeport model L7089 triband digital wireless phone used the GSM transmission standard. It was released in 1999.   Four digital Motorola V.Series V8160 cellular telephones, two open, two closed.   In June 2000, Motorola and Cisco Systems supplied the world's first commercial General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) cellular network to BT Cellnet in the United Kingdom. The system used the world's first GPRS cellular phone, the Motorola Timeport P7389i model.   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'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.   In 2004 Motorola launched the Motorazr V3 cellular phone, an ultra-thin phone that became a design icon. More than 110 million units have been sold worldwide, making Razr an icon and one of the most popular cell phones of all time. The then Motorola CEO, Ed Zanderhad, had promised 500 million but the market got saturated with Razrs and many networks also gave it away for free. Motorola market share peaks around 23 per cent.   Launched in 2005 the Motorola PEBL brought in an innovative form with rounded edges, a vertical external display and dual-hinge mechanism, but could not replicate the Razr's success.   Moto Q debuts as the thinnest QWERTY device in June 2006, at only 11.5 mm.   Motorola introduced the Ming touch screen smart phone in Asia in 2006. It used advanced handwriting software to recognise more than 10,000 handwritten characters of the Chinese alphabet   A new model of Motorola's bestselling Razr model, the Razr2 debuted in 2006.   Motorola Droid, the company's first phone built on Google's Android platform was released in October 2009. Earlier in 2008 new Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha revealed a plan to bet future entirely on Google's Android platform. Thousands of jobs we cut. Motorola ended 2008 year with less than 7 per cent market share.   Motorola released its first dual-core Android smartphone the Motorola Atrix in early 2011. Motorola Inc was split into Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility.   Google announces deal to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion and on the same day Motorola launches the Defy+ toughphone. sanskriti