Sep 1, 2009  •  In Gadgets, Geek

The Mobile Phones of My Past, Present, and Future

One of my favorite things to do while battling insomnia is to make lists. Endless, pointless lists.

Last night I did a mental rundown of all the cell phones I’ve had since my first purchase during my freshmen year in college in 1999.

(Before then was pagers. Having access to Korean import stores, I had some sweet pagers – ones that always made my high school peers green with envy. Now, kids don’t even know what pagers are.)

Can you believe that I have owned TEN ELEVEN different phones since then?

Nokia 6190
purchased in 1999, carrier: AT&T

My very first cell phone. Back in 1999, not too many people in my freshmen class had cell phones and if they did, almost all had the Nokia 5100 series or the Motorola StarTAC. I felt speshurr because I had the newest and greatest Nokia.

Nokia 8190
purchased in 2000, carrier: VoiceStream (now T-Mobile)

As soon as these mini-Nokias were released I ran out and bought one. I loved the interchangeable faceplates and keypads – I used to buy pretty, imported ones from eBay every month!

Samsung Uproar
purchased in 2001, carrier: Sprint

America’s first MP3 phone. I was the only person I knew who had one of these babies, and people were always amazed when they saw it.

Samsung A460
purchased in 2002, carrier: Sprint

Probably the least gadget-y phone I’ve ever owned. However, I liked the sleek lines and the bright blue background of the display.

Samsung A500
purchased in 2002, carrier: Sprint

A small upgrade from the Samsung A460 (I decided to purchase this when my A460 got too scratched up…yes I’m technologically vain like that). This was the first full-color display phone I owned and I loved the vibrant colors!

Sanyo 8100, lavender & pearl white
purchased in 2003, carrier: Sprint

My first camera-phone. I fell in love with the girly lavender and pearl white version and so I went and bought this on the day it was released.

Motorola Razr V3, black
purchased in 2005, carrier: T-Mobile

I drooled over the Razr when it was first announced. When the prices dropped after its first year on the market and the gunmetal black color was released, I immediately ran out and got this. Soon, everyone had a Razr.

Samsung E870, “Valentine Pink”
purchased in 2006, carrier: T-Mobile

When the Razr became über-popular, I soon lost interest. In addition, the call quality was horrible. I saw this phone in a display window in Chinatown NYC and I immediately fell in love. Sleek and minimalistic but very girly at the same time…I loved it!

Sony Ericsson M600i, white
purchased in 2007, carrier: T-Mobile

I knew I had to have this phone after watching Casino Royale. I even downloaded the “ping” notification sound used by Vesper Lynd in the movie! While I loved the looks and concept of the phone, I was not a fan of the Symbian OS.

LG Voyager
purchased in 2008, carrier: Verizon

I had been holding off on getting a phone because the Apple iPhone had been announced in 2007. However, weighing the pros and cons of the iPhone and the Voyager, I ultimately decided that the Voyager would be a better fit for me. I loved this phone and I was devastated when it died on me.

The phone that I currently own is the HTC G1 Developer Edition:

Google had gifted its employees with this phone last December, and J graciously handed it over to me.

I’m a firm believer in the superiority of the Android system over that of the iPhone. However, since this was the first phone developed for the Android, I must admit that it has its flaws.

In addition, T-Mobile sucks. After having had a taste of Verizon Wireless (which, in my opinion, is the best network in America with its superior call quality and data transfer speeds) I hate, hate, hate T-Mobile.

My only hope is that Verizon will release an Android phone in the near future. If the rumors are true, I won’t have to wait too long with the Motorola Sholes to be released later this year:

Yummy. Of course, the design is nowhere as sexy as that of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 (which is supposedly the first SE Android phone), but I need my physical keyboard, dammit!

How many mobile phones have you owned? Do you, like me, go through them like crap goes through geese?


Eta: J just reminded me that I had left out the Sony Ericsson M600i! I knew I was missing one! The list is now updated…thanks hubby!

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5 Responses to “The Mobile Phones of My Past, Present, and Future”

  1. Hubby says:

    you missed the motorola sebian phone

  2. Jessica says:

    Wow, that’s a lot of phones! I got my first one in 2000, and it was a Nokia something (AT&T). My second one was a Sony Ericsson T230 that I bought in late 2003 (Cingular). I had that one until the Motorola Rokr E1 came out in 2005 (Cingular), then I got the iPhone in December 2008 (AT&T).

  3. wow. um, i’ve had 2. one of the first big body “flip” phones by nokia and now a razr. i think it’s time for an iphone.

  4. Joy says:

    Do you buy chance still have the sanyo lavender and white flip phone? I had one also and would so much love to have it again. If so please let me know.

    Thanks!

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