The recently launched Mobile Phone Museum is a fascinating online collection and archive celebrating the evolution of mobile technology over the past 40 years.
Exploring the Virtual Museum
With over 2,700 unique handsets spanning over 250 brands, the museum offers an unparalleled look at mobile phone history. You can browse by year to see significant design shifts or search for your own old devices. Curated collections also highlight topics like James Bond movie phones, fashion phones, and mobile firsts showcasing technology innovations.
Some favorite oddities I discovered include the Nokia 7280 “lipstick” phone, the tiny RAZR-esque Motorola AURA from 2008, and the two-sided Samsung Folder from 2006. Part of the fun is stumbling across the weird and wonderful experiments alongside the iconic devices we remember.
New Physical Exhibition
In addition to the virtual museum, a physical “Going Mobile” exhibition was launched in partnership with the Museum of Global Communications in Cornwall. Spanning 40 years of mobile history, it features over 70 landmark devices, from early transportable phones to recent foldable smartphones.
Preserving Mobile Heritage
What I love about the Mobile Phone Museum is its dedication to preserving the physical artifacts and stories behind mobile innovation. As we rapidly adopt new technologies, an archive like this keeps our tech history from being forgotten. Beyond just nostalgia, it serves an educational purpose to inspire future engineers and designers.
So next time you want a reminder of how far mobile tech has come, take a trip through the decades at the Mobile Phone Museum! Let me know in the comments if you have any favorite retro mobile memories.