A New Year's resolution for the workplace

By Ron Friedman

Updated 1840 GMT (0240 HKT) December 31, 2014

It all started with a truck driver in St. Louis. Ok, if we're being honest, it all started with a Swedish engineer named Lars Magnus Ericsson and <a href="http://www.ehow.com/about_5426865_history-car-phones.html" target="_blank">some electrical wires</a>... but let's skip ahead a few decades. The first mobile call was made on an<a href="http://www.corp.att.com/attlabs/reputation/timeline/46mobile.html" target="_blank"> AT&amp;T car phone</a> in 1946. But owning a car phone didn't become mainstream until the 1980s. Now <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/10/03/cell.phones.numbers.gallery/index.html">85% of American adults</a> own a cell phone, and we're annoyed when we can't get service. In celebration of the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/04/tech/mobile/apple-iphone-announcement/index.html">iPhone 4S's release</a>, take a look back at the evolution of popular mobile phones in the U.S.

Photos: Evolution of the mobile phone

Evolution of the mobile phone – It all started with a truck driver in St. Louis. Ok, if we're being honest, it all started with a Swedish engineer named Lars Magnus Ericsson and some electrical wires... but let's skip ahead a few decades. The first mobile call was made on an AT&T car phone in 1946. But owning a car phone didn't become mainstream until the 1980s. Now 85% of American adults own a cell phone, and we're annoyed when we can't get service. In celebration of the iPhone 4S's release, take a look back at the evolution of popular mobile phones in the U.S.

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In 1973, Martin Cooper made history when he demonstrated a prototype of the first cell phone on the streets of New York. Ten years later, Motorola released the phone to the public. The DynaTAC 8000X was the size of a brick, weighed more than 2 pounds and sold for $3,900.

Photos: Evolution of the mobile phone

1983: Motorola DynaTAC 8000X – In 1973, Martin Cooper made history when he demonstrated a prototype of the first cell phone on the streets of New York. Ten years later, Motorola released the phone to the public. The DynaTAC 8000X was the size of a brick, weighed more than 2 pounds and sold for $3,900.

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Bell South/IBM's Simon Personal Communicator retailed for $899 and was the first phone to include PDA functions like a calculator, an address book and e-mail. It also had a revolutionary (for its time) touchscreen that replaced the number buttons.

Photos: Evolution of the mobile phone

1994: Simon Personal Communicator – Bell South/IBM's Simon Personal Communicator retailed for $899 and was the first phone to include PDA functions like a calculator, an address book and e-mail. It also had a revolutionary (for its time) touchscreen that replaced the number buttons.

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It seemed like everyone and their mother had a Nokia 5110 in the late 1990s. At the time Nokia was the leading cell phone company in the world; the 5110 was just one of many GSM (global system for mobile) communication devices Nokia produced. The interchangeable, colored covers made the product attractive to a wider audience, but what most people probably remember is that it featured one of the first popular mobile games, "Snake."

Photos: Evolution of the mobile phone

1998: Nokia 5110 – It seemed like everyone and their mother had a Nokia 5110 in the late 1990s. At the time Nokia was the leading cell phone company in the world; the 5110 was just one of many GSM (global system for mobile) communication devices Nokia produced. The interchangeable, colored covers made the product attractive to a wider audience, but what most people probably remember is that it featured one of the first popular mobile games, "Snake."

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The first BlackBerry phone was released by RIM Corporation in 1999. The phone was unusual at the time in that it had a full keyboard, could access e-mail and was used as a personal planner. It was the beginning of the always-connected era, prompting PC World in 2005 to name it the 15th greatest gadget of the past 50 years. It's now known as a "CrackBerry" by corporate executives across the world for its addictive qualities.

Photos: Evolution of the mobile phone

1999: BlackBerry 850 – The first BlackBerry phone was released by RIM Corporation in 1999. The phone was unusual at the time in that it had a full keyboard, could access e-mail and was used as a personal planner. It was the beginning of the always-connected era, prompting PC World in 2005 to name it the 15th greatest gadget of the past 50 years. It's now known as a "CrackBerry" by corporate executives across the world for its addictive qualities.

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It's almost unimaginable that people once had cell phones without built-in cameras. One of the first, the PCS phone by Sanyo 5300, sold in Sprint stores for $400 in 2002. "When Sanyo introduced the color-screen SCP-5000 a couple of years ago, consumers got a glimpse of what cell phones might be able to do in the future," a <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/4505-6454_7-20776128.html#ixzz1ZwDAs6vy" target="_blank">CNET review</a> said at the time. "Now, two iterations later, the SCP-5300, with its 65,000-color display and flash-equipped built-in camera, is making that vision a reality."

Photos: Evolution of the mobile phone

2002: Sanyo 5300 – It's almost unimaginable that people once had cell phones without built-in cameras. One of the first, the PCS phone by Sanyo 5300, sold in Sprint stores for $400 in 2002. "When Sanyo introduced the color-screen SCP-5000 a couple of years ago, consumers got a glimpse of what cell phones might be able to do in the future," a CNET review said at the time. "Now, two iterations later, the SCP-5300, with its 65,000-color display and flash-equipped built-in camera, is making that vision a reality."

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