A look at Moto X's iconic predecessors

“Come experience the new Motorola,” says the teaser along with invites sent out by Google to launch the Moto X. It’s been a while since we’ve seen such hype around a Motorola smartphone. In fact, it is a big announcement since Google gobbled down the company. From leaked specifications to the ability to engrave messages on its backside, a lot has already been said and written about the Android-running Moto X smartphone. With the Moto X slated to release tomorrow, lets go back in time and see some of the most iconic phones from Motorola.

Motorola DynaTAC

DynaTAC was once a symbol of wealth and luxury

Motorola is a veteran when it comes to mobile phone technologies. Its DynaTAC series of  cellular telephones was launched way back in 1984, well before most of us were even born. Though it is highly bulky by modern standards, it was considered one of the revolutionary devices back then. It was said to be a symbol of wealth and luxury. The DynaTAC 8000X was said to be truly the first mobile telephone that could connect to the telephone network without the need for a mobile operator. It could be carried around easily too. While most of the DynaTAC models running on AMPS or other analogue networks are obsolete, they are known to be popular collectors’ items.

Motorola Razr V3

Crossed the 100 million sales mark

The Motorola Razr V3 was an iconic phone of the flip phone era with an anodized aluminium body that was mere half inch in thickness. Its subtle curves gave the phone a classic look. Launched in 2004, the device was loved by many and the company managed to sell 50 million V3 units by July 2006. In fact, the Motorola V3 can proudly boast of crossing 100 million barrier by selling 130 million units overall. By 2007, iPhone and BlackBerry phones were gaining popularity, and Motorola was late to jump on to the smartphone bangwagon. It did try to reinvent the hype with Moto Razr V13 (touch-enabled screen with rectangular, rounded form factor and some nifty specs) in late 2009, but the handset didn’t take off that well.

Moto Pebl

Moto Pebl posing in vivid colours

Motorola soon wore its innovative gloves and dished out the Moto Pebl, inspired by the feel of a stone rounded and smoothed by exposure to running water. It put the Pebl U6 on display at the 3GSM show in Cannes in February 2005. Motorola didn’t pack in nifty specs or features, but it didn’t matter as the Pebl was targeted at people who wanted an attractive, distinctive looking handset, which was pleasant to hold. It came with a unique spring-loaded hinge, designed in a way that the top half of the phone can be slid towards the bottom of the device. It would feel like releasing a magnetic clasp that holds the two halves together and the spring would open the clamshell without much efforts from the user. Motorola also ensured that the device came dipped in some striking colours such as orange, green, blue, pink, and black.

Motorola Milestone

Milestone with multi-touch

The Motorola Milestone was yet another iconic Motorola device that focused on bringing the best of both world – touchscreen and physical keyboard. Motorola called it the thinnest full QWERTY slider on the market, but many would disagree on it. Motorola introduced Milestone with multi-touch capability, something that went missing in its American version called Droid. Motorola was closely working with Google and the smartphone was to be released with Android 2.0 Éclair operating system, which Google had just released back then.

Droid Razr Maxx

Droid Razr Maxx with prolonged battery life

Last year, when Samsung’s Galaxy series was getting popular by the day and iPhone was being grabbed by every other “sophisticated” phone user, Motorola introduced its Droid Razr Maxx. With Maxx, Motorola tried to introduce a powerful Android smartphone that was sleek and offered a prolonged battery life. The smartphone would boast of two times the battery life on a single charge compared to its contemporaries. The company marketed it as a smartphone for people who spend their days and nights multitasking between work and play on their handset. The massive 3300 mAh battery promised to last for a talktime of over 21 hours or a drive across the desert from LA to Las Vegas and back using GPS navigation or an equivalent of watching eight movies in a row.

Have you been a proud owner of any of these iconic Motorola phones? Do share your experience in the comments section below.