In the mid-90s, Motorola released the StarTAC, a cell phone with a revolutionary clamshell design taking the world by surprise. Years later, it became a staple in Motorola's product portfolio as North Americans everywhere became flip phone fanatics.
But as times progressed, Motorola's clamshell market share slowly dwindled as it released less popular T720, and V-series phones; unable to sustain the dominance held by the StarTAC.
Recently, Motorola attempted to appeal to lost fans by releasing a StarTAC inspired device in the Korean market. But it took a decade to re-introduce the North American market to an upgraded design.
Measuring 46 x 87 x 20 mm and weighting just 87 grams, the new StarTAC 2004, dubbed the V.I.P. 10th Anniversary Edition, will be an upgraded version of the original for the new millennium. Planned to run on the Verizon's new 3G cdma2000 1xEV-DO high-speed network, the StarTAC 2004 will be able to stream and store multimedia at broadband speeds stored on its 4 MB of internal memory. Optimal talk and standby times are 190 minutes and 185 hours respectively.
For multimedia, the StarTAC 2004 supports 64 chord polyphonic ringtones. And with at 128 x 160 px resolution, the 262K color TFT screen displays up to 9 lines of text. Five interchangeable covers are available for customization including red, gold, black, white, and blue.
Retailing at $1,600-$2,000 USD, the Special Anniversary Edition carries a hefty price tag. Currently, it's unknown if Motorola plans to make a reoccurring production model for the masses.
It's such a high price. I love the startac, but I would not pay that much for it.
2. Posted by TNM
Wed Feb 02, 2005 5:25 pm
yeahhh thats a bit pricey for a flip phone, even if its got the StarTac badging....
3. Posted by matthewdaniel
Wed Feb 09, 2005 1:14 pm
and it doesn't even have an external caller ID. It is a nice looking phone but one could buy a used vehicle for that price
4. Posted by Big Wheezy
Wed Feb 09, 2005 1:29 pm
Doesnt even seem very capable for the rediculous price tag... I'll stick with my Razr thanks...
5. Posted by theyangman
Sun Feb 20, 2005 4:24 pm
damn
6. Posted by KingWill00
Tue Feb 22, 2005 1:19 pm
For that much money, that phone better have its own personal cell phone tower in every city! That is way too much money for a cell phone. That is a months mortgage payment. Damn!!!!
7. Posted by BugSpray
Mon Apr 03, 2006 4:26 am
I can remember when the original StarTAC sold for $1600 (that is, without a contract.) I believe that was the starting price for the first digital StarTACs.
Eventually, the price came down to less than $100 with a contract. I'd like to see this thing mass-produced at that level.
8. Posted by PunkRock
Mon Apr 03, 2006 2:11 pm
Geez... $1600? That's insane. My how technology prices drop quick.
9. Posted by tameyer
Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:24 pm
They moved the buttons! The original position, at the bottom, was great for "no look" handling. Still getting used to the new position on the KRZR that recently replaced my beloved StarTac.
And the metal edges should be great for transmitting shock and getting nicked up. If you can't use it for a hockey puck, then it's not a StarTac.
Bet they replaced the nice, flat holster, too. And just thing- some marketing type got paid big bucks for doing a "New Coke" to the best cellphone ever. (groan!)
