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iPhone 5 weighs 3.95 ounces. The DynaTac was 2.5 pounds
As we near the sale of the iPhone 5, a YouTube video reminds us how clunky, expensive, and goofy-looking mobile phones once were.
Whether you're heavily panting over the iPhone 5 or you're a Samsung super fan, you can probably appreciate all cell phones after watching these videos.
AdAge went to YouTube to dig up a Radio Shack commercial from 1989. The consumer electronics chain was advertising a "powerful transportable cellular phone system" for $799.
The device required an owner to carry a unit the size of a phone book around with them. But for the time, the technology was cutting edge.
Mobile phones were very expensive back then. Remember, those were 1989 dollars. I found another Radio Shack commercial from 1987 advertising phones for $2,495 (watch it above).
With the iPhone 5 due to debut on Friday, this may not be a bad time to look back and appreciate the contributions made by cell phone pioneers, such as Martin Cooper and his Motorola Dynatac, the granddaddy of mobile phones.
The DynaTac, commonly referred to as the "brick phone" weighed 2.5 pounds, and measured about 11 inches high, 1.5 inches wide, and 4 inches deep. Sure, cell phones can be infuriating, sometimes a complete distraction. But lets face it, they also helped set us free from payphones, missed calls, and fights over who gets to use the family phone next.
Next April will mark the 40th anniversary since Cooper made the first cellular phone call.
