Engaging with Communications

Motorola MicroTAC

Released in 1989

Network = TACS

Weight = 290 g

Dimensions = 145mm x 60mm x 45mm

Battery Life = 100 mins talk time and 1440 mins standby

In 1989 Motorola once again redefined the face of the mobile phone with the launch of the MicroTAC. This brought major new advances in miniaturisation, style and usability. Whilst it may be regarded as large and heavy by today's standards, in its day it was simply amazingly light and small and influenced the design of a whole new generation of mobiles. The Motorola MicroTAC introduced the concept of the flip phone where a moveable plate covered and revealed part of the keypad. The small hole in the flip plate gave the impression of it being the microphone but was in fact false; the microphone remained firmly within the main body of the phone and the flip plate was entirely cosmetic. So too was the extending aerial. This was a piece of plastic but was included because market research had revealed that the public expected the phone to have an external aerial. In reality the MicroTAC had an internal aerial.