August 3, 2009 02:46 PM | by 
Cell phones were once developed to allow phone call without wires and from anywhere within a connection. Since then, the evolution of the cellular phone has created today’s modern day cellular phone aka the smartphone. But smartphones are also continuing to evolve into computer like devices capable of doing things we could have dreams of a few years ago.
For smartphones to become what they are now, there had to be pioneers, the most iconic cell phones, the ones that have paved the way for today’s advanced mobile handsets. Let’s a look at 10 of the most iconic cellular phones that have helped shape today’s smartphone.
10. The Zack Morris Phone
Mark-Paul Gosselaar was seen sporting this phone on the popular TV show, Saved by the Bell. The actual name of the phone is the Motorola Dynatac 8000x. It weighed 8 pounds, had no screen and gave you a workout while using it. It was the first mobile phone to be approved by the FCC in 1983 and cost a whopping $3,995. Of course only the select few had one of these. They were also the select few who looked like idiots talking into a brick.
9. MicroTAC Flip Phone
Motorola was behind the phone revolution again with a flip phone, the MicroTAC, in 1989, six years after introducing the “brick” phone. The phone weighed less than a pound and was portable enough to carry in a jacket pocket. The cost of the phone was $1,500 cheaper at $2,495.
8. The StarTAC
There are a few ways to sell cell phones, lower the price and make it fit in the pockets of customers. That’s exactly what Motorola did when they released the StarTAC in 1996. It was the lightest cell phone in the market, and cost $500. It ended up being one Motorola’s best selling phones until the RAZR, and propelled Motorola into the stratosphere.
7. Nokia 5160/6160
The candy bar cell phone finally makes an appearance with Nokia leading the way. These two models, very similar in design and software, were what many Americans were using to make their mobile phone calls. Yours truly, owned the Nokia 5160 in a grayish/black color. Both phones also allowed, for the first time, customizable faceplates and a video game, Snake.
6. Nokia 8260
The sleeker, younger brother of the 5160, added colors to the design (also customizable) was thinner, lighter and extremely popular. Released in 2000, it was one of the hottest phones, when candy bar style phones were all the rage.
5. Danger Hiptop
Before the sidekick was released, the Danger Hiptop was a one of the first mobile phones to offer a variety of functions – email, web browsing, SMS, instant messaging, and calling. It was also the first phone to ever sport the swivel design, that’s prominent in today’s Sidekick phones. It was the design and pioneer for the extremely popular Sidekick phone sold by T-Mobile.
4. Palm Treo 700 and PalmOS
In 2003, Palm created, what would eventually be a staple in mobile technology, a combination of their popular digital assistants and Handspring’s (a rival company they bought in 2003) PDA style phone (Treo 180) and released their flagship smartphone, the Palm Treo 700. Palm was then the leader in smartphone technology with their PalmOS software and excellent hardware. It was a must have for business oriented folks. Obviously things have changed since then.
3. Blackberry Phone: The 5810
RIM introduced their first phone, the 5810 in 2002 and started to slowly take the business world by storm. Prior to the release of the Blackberry phone, RIM’s primary focus was on push email, and organizers. After the release of the 5810, every Blackberry since has offered phone service. The Blackberry 5810 did not have a microphone or a speaker. To talk using the cell phone feature, you needed to use a headset. Thank God those days are now gone.
2. Motorola Razr
Motorola changed the landscape in how mobile phones were looked at after the release of the Razr. It put style and sexiness over functionality and made it work. In the four years it was out, the Razr sold over 110 million units and become the highest selling handset in Motorola history. The $500 price didn’t deter many from getting the phone, but once the price was reduced the Razr sales took off. It was also one of the few cell phones offered through every major wireless carrier.
1. Apple iPhone
Apple is in how water with the FCC these days, but when Apple first released the iPhone in 2007, it created a buzz unlike any other smartphone in history. With an innovative design, software and feel, Apple took the mobile world by storm with their iPhone. It became a revolutionary phone without the traditional keyboard (virtual), a touch screen with multi-touch capability and software that has yet to be rivaled.
The release of the iPhone also created competition among other handset companies to come up with something better. Many have tried and failed. With the iPhone, Apple also introduced their extremely popular and highly successful, Apple App Store and Apple ipod Touch. The App store is one of the key ingredients for the success of the iPhone. The App store reached over 1.5 billion downloads to date and has over 65 thousand apps. The App store model led the way for other handset manufacturer’s to create their app store, hoping for similar success. Apple claims they have sold over 40 million iPhone (3G and 3GS) and iPod Touch devices since the iPhone was introduced in 2007.