Nokia 9000 Communicator: Finnish brick phone: This is how the smartphone era began
Four centimeters thick and almost 400 grams heavy: The Nokia 9000 Communicator launched the smartphone revolution 30 years ago - as an office on the go. The price? Pretty steep.
The Nokia 9000 Communicator, launched on August 15, 1996, is considered a precursor to modern smartphones. The device weighed around 400 grams and featured a computer-like keyboard and black and white display. It allowed users to send and receive faxes and emails, and had an address book and calendar, but lacked features like a camera and GPS.
The Communicator was marketed as a mobile office solution, primarily targeting managers and executives, and cost around 2,700 German Marks. Microsoft's Bill Gates took notice of the device at a Las Vegas trade show, and subsequently purchased several units for the company's IT department.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
