When did you get your first mobile phone?

[paulguitar]

For me, 1996. I still have the same number as well.

I first used one in the late 1980s. It was attached to what was basically a car battery. A cell phone was so rare back then that people would stare at you on the street if you were using one!

[thebraketester]

1999. Siemens SL-10. 3 colour screen. Still got the same number.

[Pistom]

I would guess 1993 but then changed roles and was without one until 1997.

[StevieBee]

'89. One of those brick things with the separate shoulder battery.

[Geffg]

1993 and it was the Sony mars bar phone. Quite small considering what else was about.

[anonymoususer]

!990 I think
NEC P3 badged as a BT something Great Phone worked well

[miniman]

1994, a generic People’s Phone (later consumed by Vodafone I believe). Still have the number (although it changed from 03 to 077 code).

[abzmike]

I first saw one when I worked for Racal in 1985ish. It was in an R&D centre and a group of us were given a shot… I called my granny - the only person I knew wouldn’t be at work - and she was unconvinced as to its viability… “why would anyone want a mobile phone?”... I then got a work mobile as I was doing field service stuff in about 1993, then my first personal Orange before my daughter appeared in 1995 - still the same number now.

[mikef]

1990, a Japanese Kokusai KE101 analogue phone from Millicom, which after several takeovers became part of Vodafone so still have the original early number of two 2’s and four 1’s

The KE101 was a quality item and an early “modern” mobile phone in the UK that didn’t look like a brick or a military walkie-talkie



A similar historic thread: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=95&t=1430839[/url][url]

Edited by mikef on Monday 2nd January 20:41

[scjgreen]

1997

Philips Diga on BT Cellnet

I was only 12 and it was still quite unusual for a young person to have a Mobile

[ajprice]

2000 or 2001, it was a Sony J5. It had a game on it where you were a monkey going up and down a tree, throwing bananas at the monkey on the other side, I liked that game

[Terminator X]

98 from memory, one of those tiny Nokia's. 3310?

TX.

[gazza285]

1996, with a Motorola International 8700, same number now, but the 08 became 077 at some point.

Flip front and pull out aerial...

[finlo]

One of these in 1990

[Mikebentley]

Must have been about 1991 Sony Mars bar then an Orange phone and then a tiny gold Samsung SGH 600. What is shocking now I look back on it was something like 49ppm calls and only about 30 minutes included.

[Sheets Tabuer]

One of those motorola flip things where you had to pull the antenna up, bonus cool points if you did it with you teeth.

[anonymous-user]

1992. I was working in IT support and was on call.

[bristolbaron]

1998, Nokia 5110 - Vodafone contract through Loaded magazine - it came with a Loaded branded cover. Still on the same network/number.

[Gecko1978]

1998 a Motorola MR30 paid £100 for phone and 1 year line rental up front. Got 15mins of free calls a month also. Got a startac year later and then a virgin pay as you go cheap thing. For a while I had 2 contracts as wanted a Nokia an then just used wife's old ones as she got a new one each year.

[Chicken_Satay]

Late in 1999. It was a Sagem something or other. I got it free/as part of a package when I spent £1400 on a Tiny PC. Also part of package was my first digital camera, a Kodak DC215.