Launched in 1996, the Motorola StarTAC was a clamshell-style mobile phone that weighed 3.1 ounces, the smallest and lightest cell phone up to that point. However, the StarTAC quickly became technology dated as consumers wanted better texting, improved displays, internet access, and more sophisticated software, all of which Nokia brought to the market in 1999. StarTAC’s original architecture was optimized around being small and stylish, not around becoming a multifunctional mobile computer.
