News about Martin Cooper

Consumers will make a generous profit from vintage technology that has accumulated dust in their attic, according to DailyMail.com. These forgotten electronics included a first-generation iPod that is expected to sell for $60,000, as well as a 1996 Tamagotchi that is expected to sell for $3,500.

CRAIG BROWN: This week marks the 50th anniversary of the first call on a mobile phone. On April 3, 1973, Motorola engineer Martin Cooper made the call. 'I'm calling you on a cellphone, but not a real cellphone,' phening Joel Engel, a market analyst with a competing brand, said. Cell phone calls have stayed the same since then. Cooper had identified a market deficit. He discovered that train passengers around the world were tagging on a train: "I'm on a train." This fantasy was brought to life by the introduction of the cell phone. More than 350 million passengers worldwide say, 'I'm on a train every day,' unless there is a rail strike, in which case they say: 'I'm not on a train.'

It's difficult to remember a time before smartphones were invented, but now they have updated maps, watches, calendars, cameras, and countless more accessories. The first ever one came out 50 years ago today, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, which weighed in at 784 g (1.75 lbs). Since then, the device has shrunk down drastically, lost its buttons, and external aerial, but it has acquired a touch screen and professional quality camera lens. It has also expanded from being merely capable of phone calls to internet access, sending messages, recording videos, and paying for our purchases. MailOnline looks back on the mobile phone's evolution over the past five decades to celebrate its birthday.