Win an AT&T Pantech C820 Matrix Pro

[Jason Dunn]

<p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1281567733.usr1.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p>I'm not <em>quite</em> done with the Windows Phone Thoughts re-launch contest: next up is an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.windowsphonethoughts.com/news/show/99550/unboxing-first-impressions-of-the-pantech-matrix-pro.html" target="_blank">AT&amp;T Pantech C820 Matrix Pro</a>&nbsp;(Check out <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/totalaccess/columns/pantec-matrix-pro-review.mspx" target="_blank">my review here</a>.). It's a Windows Mobile Standard smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.1. I used one for a few months last year, and it's a surprisingly capable phone that's easy to use with the dual sliding input keyboards (the QWERTY keyboard and the 12-key&nbsp;dialling&nbsp;pad). It's locked to the AT&amp;T network, so this contest is restricted to people living in the USA.</p><p>Want to win it? Just post a reply to this post telling me what your first mobile phone was - make, model, or whatever you can remember. That's it! I'll randomly select one winner on Thursday the 19th of August at 12 noon GMT -7. One post per person, and you'll want to make sure you have forum private message notifications turned on, because that's how I'll be notifying the winner. The winner will have 72 hours to get back to me to claim the prize.</p><p>I'm looking forward to reading about a lot of ancient cell phones - bonus points if you can post a link to an image of your first cell phone...</p>

[uzziah0]

I looked on PhoneScoop for it, but couldn't find it. It was an old Motorola, sort of figure 8 shaped, with an antenna stub. The faceplace could be switched, I think I had a blue one and a white one.
My wife used it mostly, since she had a longer commute to work.
It was really had to hear very well, so we hardly ever used it.

Oh look! I'm first!

[mskovrinskie]

ATT SMT 5600. The old HTC Typhoon. I loved that phone.

6 years later, my father in law is still using it. No 3G, no Wifi, and a tiny little screen.

[Fritzly]

Motorola MicroTAC 9800X (Analog) in 1990.
I do not remember the brand of the previous one but was mainly a phone to be used in the car, not a true portable one.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Motorola_MicroTAC_9800x.jpg

[The Yaz]

Motorola StarTac...

When I first saw that phone my Trekkie heart knew I had to have it :D

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=193375831859&id=d17bbf85313467e8efcf7120955d9052&url=http%3a%2f%2fpicturrs.com%2ffiles%2ftechzug%2fimgs%2fperipherals%2fvintage_gads_05.jpg (http://picturrs.com/files/techzug/imgs/peripherals/vintage_gads_05.jpg)

Steve :cool:

(Yeah! my 300th post to boot... That's got to be lucky)

[SteveAZee]

I don't remember the model, but it was a bar phone with a B&W display that showed the phone number(s) and that was about it. Very simple... and it actually worked when making a phone call!

[txa1265]

My wife and I got matching AT&T phones in ~1991-2 that looked like this:
http://www.corp.att.com/history/images/milestone_1994.jpg

Reception was crap in our area and whenever we'd be in a place where we might actually need one for the emergency purposes we bought them for originally ...

[zoinks256]

I had a Motorola/Nextel i1000. Talk about a Star Trek phone!

[cmchavez]

I had a Nokia 5120, which I really loved because it just simply worked and never seemed to have any hardware or performance issues.

You can find a picture of it on this "Nokia Timeline" at http://www.newlaunches.com/entry_images/1107/12/nokia_timeline.php

The Pantech phone, with all its tech, would definitely be a quantum leap from that first phone. :)

[nosmohtac]

I can't rmember the model, but it was the big fat motorola (startac maybe) that had the small flip that uncovered the keypad. It was big, but the battery lasted for days.

[cweeks]

I had the Motorola Startac(?). Big ol' brick that was only pocketable if you had those cool Docker's pants with the inside "technology" pocket. :)

I do NOT miss that thing. It was pretty indestructible, though.

[dlindman]

I remember my old Motorola V500. I think it is still around somewhere in a drawer or something. I loved the flip and the small LCD on the outside for the time and caller ID. I also loved how it could be hacked and personalized. But then came along those Windows CE smartphones and the V500 was a think of the past...

[T_Scheen]

Mine was a "Hagenuk Global Handy" bought in 1996.
Very sleek design for the time and an internal antenna reducing GSM-radiation to a minimum when holding it near to the ear. Great phone but battery life was an issue.
http://www.hagenuk.info/info/global/pic/global.jpg

[after_forever]

My first phone was the Motorola StarTac flip phone running on the AT&T network.
http://www.arcx.com/sites/Mot7797.JPG
http://www.arcx.com/sites/Mot7797.JPG

I thought I was big stuff having one of the smallest phones on the market. That thing would make the side of your face sweat if you talked more than two minutes on it. I think I was paying about $50 a month for only 250 minutes. I do not recall if text messaging was around back then. I really enjoyed that phone, as a phone that is. How times have changed in little over ten short years.
And yes, I have been with AT&T/Cingular/AT&T ever since I have owned a phone.
Anyway, this would make a great phone for my other half; she is not as techie as I am. She just wants a phone with a slide out keys to text with.

[PeeVee]

My first phone was a Nokia 6820. Now I have a Tilt 2. Can't wait for the new Windows Phone 7 models!

[leslietroyer]

First one I remember was a moto startac flip phone I bought for my wife. The first smart (windows phone) - was a Thera by audiovox(still have it in a box somewhere) - which was a clunky old thing..

[ACD_Bill]

Mine was an old Nokia in the mid 1990's. I think maybe a 2110? Anyway, it was neat. It had a cradle with a button you could touch to answer and made it a speaker phone. It had the game Snakes on it. Very nice phone for the day. Great reception too!

[tikiman7]

NYNEX something or other. Heavy candy bar analog phone with service that cost about $2 per minute.

[jvanliew]

It was an Ericson, unfortunately don't remember the model. It had a little flip out flap that covered the keypad. Pretty nice phone. I ended up losing or breaking itand had to replace it at something like $200, sytarted getting insurance after that.

[Lucy]

I also had the Motorola startac. It was a pretty cool phone at the time.

[daS]

My first mobile was a Nokia analog phone on PacTel Cellular in about 1992. Don't remember the model number but it was HUGE. From there, PacTel spun off the cellular business as AirTouch I stuck with them. Then PacBell realized they made a mistake getting out of the cellular market so they started PacBell Wireless as the first GSM operator in California. I switched to them and even sold a few Sagem GSM phones that had the ability to be a wireless modem using IrDA connection to HP 200LX handhelds. (VERY leading edge stuff at the time. :rolleyes:) From there, PacBell Wireless became Cingular which became ATT. Still with them even though the reception here in Solvang is spotty. But I stick to GSM because I can have an advanced phone (currently a Tilt 2) and when I visit customers that do not allow cameras I can move my SIM to my older FUZE (the version without a camera.) You can't do that with CDMA.

[Hx4700]

Sony ck3 - 1996 - wonder why I could not find a picture anywhere ;)

[famewolf]

My first cell phone was a CDMA Nokia...I want to say it was in the 6xxx family...candybar....no fancy features.
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[webbahboy]

http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Support/US-EN/Mobile%20Phones/V555/_Images/Static%20Files/V555_Support.gifI was late to the mobile phone game, with the Motorola v555. Nice phone -- I tweaked it to the max!!
Thanks for the fun contest.

[Bierhuizen]

My first phone was the Philips Genie (Yes the big Consumer, Lighting and Health Conglomerate made cellphones too last century). It was one of the first phones under 100 grams and I had it while I still lived in the Netherlands.

Here is a link with the specs: http://www.gsmarena.com/philips_genie-147.php http://img.gsmarena.com/vv/bigpic/phgenieb.gif

Thanks,
Serge

[dunneldeen]

My first cell phone was a Qualcomm QCP-820

http://www.factorydirectcellular.com/images/qualcomm/qcp820-phone-small.jpg

[fone_fanatic]

My first phone ever was a nokia "banana" 8110 i think.
http://www.all4mobiles.com/photo/nokia%208110.jpg
but my first windows mobile phone was the i-mate jam (htc magician)
http://www.welectronics.com/gsm/I%20Mate/imatejam.jpg

[happyloman]

nokia 8200

[Brad Adrian]

...if you had those cool Docker's pants with the inside "technology" pocket...


Those would be the Dockers Mobile Pants and they were actually pretty spiffy for their time (circa 2002), especially among those of us geeks not wanting to go with the "Batman Tool Belt" look for carrying our phones, Pocket PCs, etc.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2002/02/21/dockers_mobile_pant_review/

I have it on good authority that the famous Ed Hansberry was so attached to his beloved Mobile Pants that when the pants were discontinued he located six remaining pair in his size in stores within a 50-mile radius and purchased them all. He's probably wearing a pair even as we speak... ;)

As far as my first mobile phone is concerned (It was a true "cellular phone."), I got it in 1995 and it looked something like this:

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/9d77cd07da.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

Don't let the low-res photo fool you, this baby was as high-tech as they came. Note, for instance, the..

**MULTI-line display, providing up to two lines of text and/or information
**Full color screen, including both BLACK and WHITE shades
**Full-function keypad, including buttons for sending, ending AND dialing
**Collapsing antenna for shortening the overall length of the phone from 10 inches to 8 inches
**Slimline battery which extended the phone's standby time to nearly 8 hours

In addition, do not be confused by the small size of the image. This phone was so nice and hefty that it was much more difficult to misplace than today's tiny, pocketable phones. In fact, I always knew exactly where my first phone was, because the only way I could carry it around was in my briefcase.

[jkovacs]

Samsung SCH-3500... file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Joe/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.pngand I've still got it!

http://z.about.com/d/cellphones/1/0/j/8/samsung_sch-3500.jpg

...Joe K.

[after_forever]

the anticipation is killing me, Who won?

[Jason Dunn]

Sorry for the delay everyone - I forgot about this contest. :o

The winner is...ACD_Bill

Thanks to everyone for entering - it was entertaining to read about the old phones that people had... :)

[ACD_Bill]

Wow. I'm surprised, I just don't win contests. Thanks for the opportunity to participate.