Today marks the 45th anniversary of an essential piece of technology we know maybe a little too well today, as the mobile phone hits four-and-a-half decades in the hands of Canadian consumers.

On April 3, 1973, Motorola unveiled the DynaTAC. Known as the B次元官网网址渂rickB次元官网网址� phone, it measured 10 inches in length and weighed two pounds.

However, B.C. consumers had had to wait 10 years for the phone to pass federal approval in September of 1983 before they could invest $3,995 into the game-changing technology.

B.C. man Vid Wadhwani still remembers buying the phone B次元官网网址� but said it was more for show than anything else.

B次元官网网址淏ecause there were not as many cell towers, calls dropped all the time. There were many parts of Vancouver and areas that did not have cell coverage,B次元官网网址� he said, noting it took years for the Marry Hill Bypass to gain reception.

But similar to todayB次元官网网址檚 long lineups for the newest iPhone release, Wadhwani had to get his hands on the DynaTAC for both pleasure and work.

The phone carried a hefty price tag; about $9,000 in todayB次元官网网址檚 dollars.

As a broker, taking calls at anytime from clients was a game changer, he said. Now a laughable memory of B次元官网网址�80s pop culture, the phone was B次元官网网址渕ost likely to impress the chicks,B次元官网网址� Wadhwani added.

In addition to spotty connection, the DynaTAC had its quirks, including some that wouldnB次元官网网址檛 fly in todayB次元官网网址檚 world of constant communication. For one, an overnight charge got you 45 minutes of actual use.

B次元官网网址淏ack then you did not leave your phone on all the time,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淥nly when you thought you were going to need it.B次元官网网址�

And then there was the cost of actually making a call. Each call was roughly 60 cents per minute, which would be about $1.30 now.

B次元官网网址淚f you talked for 61 seconds, you were charged $1.20,B次元官网网址� he recalled.

Now owning the iPhone 8, with features like FaceTime and read receipts on text messages becoming commonplace amongst mobile users, Wadhwani said he never would have thought at the time that brick phone would be replaced by a mini-computer in his pocket.

B次元官网网址淸ItB次元官网网址檚] a completely different world,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淰ery quick progression from back then that couldnB次元官网网址檛 have been imagined.B次元官网网址�

EDITORB次元官网网址橲 NOTE: Vid Wadhwani is a family member of Black Press Media reporter Ashley Wadhwani

ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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