The first time you saw a car phone or mobile phone

WT Sharpe · 04-17-2016, 12:05 PM

In the Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? thread, Hampshire Nanny mentioned that one interesting aspect of The Enemy by Lee Child was that was centered on Jack Reacher's life in 1989 and 1990. "It was interesting she said, "that they had to stop to use a pay phone because cellular phones didn't exist yet."

That put me in mind of an episode of the Adventures of Superman entitled "The Evil Three" in which Perry White makes a phone call on his car phone. Even in 1953 rank had its privileges.

Spoiler:

MickeyC · 04-17-2016, 01:02 PM

Actually cellular phones started in 1984 or, at least, that's when I first saw one. It belonged to the big boss where I worked and was about the size of a brick. His assistant explained it to me pointing out that it only worked on the freeway to Washington and scattered places throughout the city. These will never catch on I thought. Guess I had that wrong.

I recall attending a futurist meeting where I worked back in the 70s where one of the people asked the committee if there would ever be something like the two way wrist radio ala Dick Tracey. The committee lead said there would be and, if you called someone and they didn't answer that meant they were dead! I think he got that one wrong.

Cinisajoy · 04-17-2016, 06:44 PM

The first mobile phone I remember seeing was in April 1993 and it could only be used in the car.
Now my grandfather had a radio phone in the trunk of his car in the 1970's. It was huge. You picked up the receiver and told the operator who you needed to call.
We were shown how to use it and told the only time we could use it was if there was a major accident at the oil rig.

cromag · 04-17-2016, 09:56 PM

Still minorly off-topic, but I worked for New England Telephone from '79 to '84, when the old Bell System broke up. In addition to my regular work, I handled requests for mobile phone (radio-telephone) service in western Massachusetts and Vermont. The control head with the handset could mount under the dash, but the main equipment box had to go in the trunk. It was a lot like the mobile phones that "Jonathan and Jennifer Hart" used in the TV show Hart to Hart.

We did have an option for limited direct dialing, but nearly all mobile phones -- in my territory, anyway -- were half-duplex. I talk, pause, then you can talk, pause, then I can talk again.

MickeyC · 04-18-2016, 05:10 AM

Got my first cell phone in 1991. It was a bigger than today's iPhone 6 Plus but was strictly a phone: no apps or Internet And if you weren't in your area code, a caller had to know where you were so they could use that area code.

BobC · 04-18-2016, 01:05 PM

In 1959 the GPO in the UK opened their first Radiophone service in South Lancashire. I recall seeing one fitted in one of the GPO Telephones Sales bosses cars in the late 1960s - Boot Mounted (That would be trunk Mounted in the U.S.) it looked like they needed to uprate the car's suspension.

Later in the mid 1980s we had a "pool" portable cellphone for the office. Looked like a car battery with handset attached and weighed about as much.

BobC

Barbara1955 · 04-18-2016, 01:18 PM

Hummm Andy Griffin ... some rich guy broke down Andy used his car phone to call for tow truck! But in 1980s I had on set up on my Kitchen table. I rigged it to run off car battery & had that plugged into a Battery Charger. Prepaid mins. I get calls on my pager & call them back on the cell phone

WT Sharpe · 04-18-2016, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie1

Hummm Andy Griffin ... some rich guy broke down Andy used his car phone to call for tow truck! But in 1980s I had on set up on my Kitchen table. I rigged it to run off car battery & had that plugged into a Battery Charger. Prepaid mins. I get calls on my pager & call them back on the cell phone

Maybe Andy used Perry White's phone. Many of the buildings and sets for Mayberry had seen previous use as buildings in Metropolis.

oren64 · 04-18-2016, 03:35 PM

My first time i see mobile phone was in mid 90' in a school trip, my friend bring is new cell phone, all the kids were interesting in the cell phone than the trip, and want to hold it or make an "emergency" call.

Barbara1955 · 04-18-2016, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oren64

My first time i see mobile phone was in mid 90' in a school trip, my friend bring is new cell phone, all the kids was interesting in the cell phone than the trip, and what to hold it or make an "emergency" call.

My gf still has that phone and uses it Daily!

Bilbo1967 · 04-19-2016, 07:10 AM

1988 was the first time I saw a car phone. I was working in a pub and one of the regulars came in one day with one of those huge phones that you carried around in the car - kind of looked like a car battery with a handset on the top it.

We were very impressed at the time!

JoHunt · 04-19-2016, 08:06 AM

My first sighting of a "mobile" phone was in a James Bond movie (From Russia with Love). Sean Connery chatting away on a standard handset

WT Sharpe · 04-19-2016, 08:48 AM

Possibly the first really mobile phone was used by a fellow agent of Bond.

JoHunt · 04-19-2016, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Possibly the first really mobile phone was used by a fellow agent of Bond.

And quite possibly the first smartphone

Cinisajoy · 04-19-2016, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoHunt

And quite possibly the first smartphone

I do believe that should be a Smart phone.

04-17-2016, 12:05 PM	#1
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	The first time you saw a car phone or mobile phone In the Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? thread, Hampshire Nanny mentioned that one interesting aspect of *The Enemy* by Lee Child was that was centered on Jack Reacher's life in 1989 and 1990. "It was interesting she said, "that they had to stop to use a pay phone because cellular phones didn't exist yet." That put me in mind of an episode of the Adventures of Superman entitled "The Evil Three" in which Perry White makes a phone call on his car phone. Even in 1953 rank had its privileges. Spoiler: (Click to enlarge.) Last edited by WT Sharpe; 04-17-2016 at 10:35 PM.

04-17-2016, 09:56 PM	#4
cromag Surfin the alpha waves ~~ Posts: 26,158 Karma: 459735575 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Jetbook Lite & Mini, Nook STR, Kobo, Hanvon N516, Kindle 2, Androids	Still minorly off-topic, but I worked for New England Telephone from '79 to '84, when the old Bell System broke up. In addition to my regular work, I handled requests for mobile phone (radio-telephone) service in western Massachusetts and Vermont. The control head with the handset could mount under the dash, but the main equipment box had to go in the trunk. It was a lot like the mobile phones that "Jonathan and Jennifer Hart" used in the TV show Hart to Hart. We did have an option for limited direct dialing, but nearly all mobile phones -- in my territory, anyway -- were half-duplex. I talk, pause, then you can talk, pause, then I can talk again. Last edited by cromag; 04-17-2016 at 09:59 PM.

04-18-2016, 03:35 PM	#9
oren64 I need a chapter break Posts: 4,042 Karma: 56058267 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Israel Device: Kobo Glo	My first time i see mobile phone was in mid 90' in a school trip, my friend bring is new cell phone, all the kids were interesting in the cell phone than the trip, and want to hold it or make an "emergency" call. Last edited by oren64; 04-19-2016 at 02:34 AM.

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04-17-2016, 01:02 PM	#2
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Actually cellular phones started in 1984 or, at least, that's when I first saw one. It belonged to the big boss where I worked and was about the size of a brick. His assistant explained it to me pointing out that it only worked on the freeway to Washington and scattered places throughout the city. These will never catch on I thought. Guess I had that wrong. I recall attending a futurist meeting where I worked back in the 70s where one of the people asked the committee if there would ever be something like the two way wrist radio ala Dick Tracey. The committee lead said there would be and, if you called someone and they didn't answer that meant they were dead! I think he got that one wrong.

04-17-2016, 06:44 PM	#3
Cinisajoy Just a Yellow Smiley. Posts: 19,161 Karma: 83862859 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Texas Device: K4, K5, fire, kobo, galaxy	The first mobile phone I remember seeing was in April 1993 and it could only be used in the car. Now my grandfather had a radio phone in the trunk of his car in the 1970's. It was huge. You picked up the receiver and told the operator who you needed to call. We were shown how to use it and told the only time we could use it was if there was a major accident at the oil rig.

04-18-2016, 05:10 AM	#5
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Got my first cell phone in 1991. It was a bigger than today's iPhone 6 Plus but was strictly a phone: no apps or Internet And if you weren't in your area code, a caller had to know where you were so they could use that area code.

04-18-2016, 01:05 PM	#6
BobC Guru Posts: 691 Karma: 3026110 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Lancashire, U.K. Device: BeBook 1, BeBook Pure, Kobo Glo, (and HD),Energy Sistem EReader Pro +	In 1959 the GPO in the UK opened their first Radiophone service in South Lancashire. I recall seeing one fitted in one of the GPO Telephones Sales bosses cars in the late 1960s - Boot Mounted (That would be trunk Mounted in the U.S.) it looked like they needed to uprate the car's suspension. Later in the mid 1980s we had a "pool" portable cellphone for the office. Looked like a car battery with handset attached and weighed about as much. BobC

04-18-2016, 01:18 PM	#7
Barbara1955 Non-Techy Posts: 4,455 Karma: 15499273 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: WV---USA Device: Samsung Cell Phone & Amazon Fires & Kobo eReaders	Hummm Andy Griffin ... some rich guy broke down Andy used his car phone to call for tow truck! But in 1980s I had on set up on my Kitchen table. I rigged it to run off car battery & had that plugged into a Battery Charger. Prepaid mins. I get calls on my pager & call them back on the cell phone

04-19-2016, 07:10 AM	#11
Bilbo1967 Not scared! Posts: 13,424 Karma: 81011643 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Midlands, UK Device: Kindle Paperwhite 10, Huawei M5 10	1988 was the first time I saw a car phone. I was working in a pub and one of the regulars came in one day with one of those huge phones that you carried around in the car - kind of looked like a car battery with a handset on the top it. We were very impressed at the time!

04-19-2016, 08:06 AM	#12
JoHunt I am what I am Posts: 6,625 Karma: 62235665 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: iPad3, Voyage	My first sighting of a "mobile" phone was in a James Bond movie (From Russia with Love). Sean Connery chatting away on a standard handset

04-19-2016, 08:48 AM	#13
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	Possibly the first really mobile phone was used by a fellow agent of Bond.

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