Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MOTOROLA STARTAC

Date Range From

2000

Date Range To

2010

Materials

PLASTIC, METAL, PAPER

No. Pieces

4

Height

2.0

Length

12.4

Width

6.0

Description

CELLULAR, FLIP PHONE WITH BATTERY PACK, PLASTIC HOLDER AND CHARGER - FOUR PIECES. 1. FLIP PHONE, BLACK PLASTIC. MARKED, "MOTOROLA" ON FRONT. THICK ANTENNA COMES OUT OF TOP. "MODEL: 109291138A TYPE ZZDA" MARKED ON WHITE STICKER. PHONE FLIPS OPEN TO REVEAL EARPIECE, GRAYSCALE SCREEN, AND KEYPAD. THREE SMALL BUTTONS ONE ONE SIDE OF PHONE. PORT ON BOTTOM OF PHONE. SMALL CRACK IN SCREEN. 2.0 CM HIGH BY 12.4 CM LONG BY 6.0 CM WIDE. 2. BATTERY, BLACK, PLASTIC. SEMI RECTANGULAR SHAPED BATTERY CLIPS ON TO OUTSIDE OF FLIP PHONE. MARKED "STARTAC" ON FRONT. BACK MARKED "MOTOROLA 3.6 V LITHIUM ION BATTERY..." ON WHITE STICKER WITH HOLOGRAM MARKED "MOTOROLA ORIGINAL" ON ONE SIDE. FOUR METAL CONNECTION POINTS ON TOP EDGE OF BATTERY. 1.3 CM HIGH BY 4.1 CM LONG BY 5.0 CM WIDE. 3. CELL PHONE HOLDER, BLACK PLASTIC. MOULDED TO SHAPE OF CELL PHONE WHICH SLIDES INTO HOLDER AND CLICKS INTO PLACE. PLASTIC BELT CLIP IS ATTACHED BY A SPRING-LOADED HINGE TO BACK OF HOLDER. CLIP MARKED, "MOTOROLA". "15856126" OBSCURED BY CLIP. 3.7 CM HIGH BY 9.4 CM LONG BY 5.5 CM WIDE. 4. CELL PHONE CHARGER, BLACK, PLASTIC. RECTANGULAR SHAPED PLUG WITH PRONGS THAT FOLD IN ON HINGES. BACK MARKED "MODEL: PSM4604B...MOTOROLA, AC POWER SUPPLY..." BLACK CHORD COMES OUT OF BOTTOM AND ENDS IN MALE PORTION OF PLUG MARKED, "PUSH, TOP". PLUG HAS ONE HORIZONTAL, FLAT PRONG. 2.5 CM HIGH BY 187.2 CM LONG BY 4.8 CM WIDE.

Subjects

TELECOMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

DONOR KEVIN MACLEAN SAID AT TIME OF DONATION, "I WILL NOT CARRY A CELL PHONE!! ! I REJECT WHOLEHEARTEDLY THE COMMERCIAL/POPULAR NOTION THAT CELL PHONE USE WILL PROVIDE ME WITH A HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE. WHEN I VISIT MALLS OR PUBLIC SPACES, I AM DISMAYED TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WALKING AROUND WITH PHONES HELD TO THEIR EARS OR IN THEIR HANDS, TEXTING, OBLIVIOUS TO THE WORLD AROUND THEM. I SOMETIMES WONDER WHAT CAN BE ALL THAT IMPORTANT THAT, AT THAT MOMENT, THEY HAVE TO USE THEIR CELL PHONE. MAYBE I AM SHOWING MY AGE, BUT I THINK THERE'S TOO MUCH COMMUNICATION ABOUT, WELL, NOTHING. AND, WHO BENEFITS BY THIS REGULAR 'NEED' OF CELL TECHNOLOGY? IT IS THE PHONES' PROVIDERS - NOT THE USERS. AND, DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ABOUT PEOPLE WHO TEXT AND TALK ON THEIR CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING. MY CELL PHONE WAS BOUGHT BY MY PARENTS, MAC AND BARB MACLEAN IN APPROXIMATELY 2003. I DISTINCTLY RECALL ENJOYING A BIRTHDAY SUPPER WITH THEM AT THE LOCAL KEG RESTAURANT WHEN THEY ASKED ME, 'WOULD YOU LIKE A CELL PHONE FOR CHRISTMAS KEVIN?' TO WHICH I REPLIED, 'NO, AND IF YOU BOUGHT ME ONE I WOULDN'T CARRY IT.' WELL, GUESS WHAT, THEY BOUGHT ME (OR RATHER THEMSELVES) FOR CHRISTMAS ANYWAYS - THIS ONE. AND THEY PAID FOR THE CELL'S PLAN TOO - GOOD THING BECAUSE I SURE AS HELL WOULD NOT HAVE. THE PHONE WAS NOT CARRIED BY ME FOR MORE THAN A COLLECTION OF DAYS/WEEKS OVER ALL THE YEARS THAT I OWNED IT. THE ONLY OCCASIONS I CHOSE TO CARRY IT WERE TIMES WHEN MY PERSONAL SAFETY WAS AT RISK (HIKING) OR WHEN A TRADITIONAL PHONE WAS ENTIRELY UNAVAILABLE (CAMPING AND TRIPS ABROAD). IF YOU ASKED ME, I COULDN'T EVEN TELL YOU MY CELL PHONE'S NUMBER. AND EVEN IF I DID KNOW, I WOULDN'T TELL YOU BECAUSE I WOULD WANT YOU TO CALL ME ON - IS YOUR MESSAGE REALLY THAT IMPORTANT??' DON'T GET ME WRONG, I DO LIKE PHONES GENERALLY. I HAVE A 1938 BAKELITE LANDLINE PHONE AT HOME AND, I WATCH, WITH GREAT INTEREST, AS PAYPHONES ACROSS THE CITY DISAPPEAR FROM THE PUBLIC LANDSCAPE. OF COURSE, I'M INTERESTED IN THEIR DISAPPEARANCE ON ACCOUNT THAT I'M THE ONLY ONE LEFT WHO USES THEM. IN MAY 2010, I VISITED EUROPE AND IT WAS DECIDED BETWEEN MY WIFE AND ME THAT A NEW CELL PHONE WITH A TEXTING CAPACITY WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS. MY MOTOROLA, THEREFORE, WAS SUCCEEDED BY A NEW PHONE WHICH I CARRIED AND USED IN HOLLAND AND GERMANY. ONCE HOME, HOWEVER, IT, TOO, TOOK PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN THE SAME LOCATION AS MY DESPISED MOTOROLA - THE BOTTOM SHELF OF MY OFFICE BOOKCASE." FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20100020003

Acquisition Date

2010-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail