So today I’m gonna take you through my cellphones journey over the years. These things are must-haves now, but what a wild ride it’s been.

As far as I can officially remember—give or take a few months—it’s been about 22 years since my cellphones evolution. I started thinking about that because not too long ago I was reading an old post on my blog. In it, I said that we become slaves to a device we didn’t even need for the first half of our lives.

Well, yeah, it’s been a long time. So many things have changed from my first phone to today. Obviously, before I had any cellphone, there was that classic, well-remembered rotary phone we all had. A device that looked a lot like this:

But yeah, you only saw a handful of people with a cellphone back then, just cruisin’ around Miraflores.”

Back then, in the nineties in Lima, these huge cellphones with single-line LED screens started showing up. I kinda remember the battery was massive, too. To be honest, my memory’s a little fuzzy from back then and it’s playing some tricks on me.

But yeah, you only saw a handful of people with a cellphone back then, just cruisin’ around Miraflores. In 1990, this guy named Genaro Delgado Parker started a company called Celular 2000, and each of those phones cost almost two grand. It’s kinda crazy to think that this April 3rd—the same day as my birthday—the cellphone turns 42, so it’s just one year older than me!

The running joke was that you could knock out any punk trying to rob you just by hitting them over the head with the thing.”

Motorola Tango 300.

I remember I got that phone back in the early nineties, probably ’92 at the latest. It had a little three-line screen, and it was so huge that I remember people calling it a “brick.” The running joke was that you could knock out any punk trying to rob you just by hitting them over the head with the thing.

It was a pretty wild way to defend yourself, especially with how much the phone cost, but hey, that was its “advantage.” The best news was when they announced they wouldn’t charge us for receiving calls anymore, only for making them. Out of all the phones I’ve ever had, that Motorola Tango—the “official” clone of the Motorola MicroTAC—was definitely the biggest one I used.

The best thing about owning that T18D was the unlimited text messages since they were still free back then.”

Ericsson T18D.

The second one was a total game-changer. It was way smaller. It wasn’t one of those super popular StarTac, but that Ericsson was one of the first phones to hit the market that was so tiny. Plus, I didn’t get stuck with that nasty champagne color that was so trendy back then—mine was a slick navy.

I loved that phone the whole time I had it until I had a little mishap and had to say goodbye. The best thing about owning that T18D was the unlimited text messages since they were still free back then. I had to go back to the “brick,” but the Tango couldn’t even send texts. But I guess back then, there weren’t a lot of people to text anyway.

By the late nineties, it felt like I just had a pager that someone would call me on every once in a while”

LG DM110.

I was so over having a huge, clunky phone. And, I’ll admit, my modesty was even lower back then than it is now. A lot of my friends had the Tango when I was using the T18D, and by the time I was robbed, the T19 or T20 were all the rage. So, basically, all my friends had these tiny phones and I didn’t, and obviously, I had to change that.

That free-SMS era ended with the T18D. With my new LG phone, that was all gone. I was spending a good chunk of my paycheck just to top it up so I could text my friends more than I actually talked to them. By the late nineties, it felt like I just had a pager that someone would call me on every once in a while.

The really cool thing about my first Nokia was that it had a color screen, a first for me.”

Nokia 350.

I still couldn’t afford a monthly plan, but my fourth phone was pretty sweet. It was a gift, and I definitely got a lot of use out of it. The keyboard-wheel thing wasn’t too hard, but texting was a total pain. It was great for calls, though. The really cool thing about my first Nokia was that it had a color screen, a first for me.

Even with that, I had a tough to get used to the round dial, though I could figure it out with some creativity. On top of that, people knew Nokia for making some seriously wild-looking models, and those were the ones that always grabbed my attention. So after that good experience, it wasn’t long before another Nokia ended up in my hands.

So the whole idea of the first phone/Game Boy hybrid kind of went down the drain.”

Nokia N-Gage.

I gotta say, I’m not really a big gamer, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the original N-Gage. It was a phone I barely used, but out of all my phones, the keypad on that one wore out faster than any of the others. I think you could even listen to music on it, but it was super fragile, even though I wasn’t really using it for games.

So the whole idea of the first phone/Game Boy hybrid kind of went down the drain. It wasn’t a bad idea, but it just wasn’t tough enough. Now phones can handle games, and you can even buy adapters from AliBaba. Maybe the N-Gage could make a comeback. By the time it died on me, I was already storing data and music on my Palm m130 and using my next phone just for calls.

It was kind of ironic—just as I finally got a good plan for calls, everyone else was ditching them.”

Nokia 3200b.

This was my first phone with a decent plan for texting and calls, and it was pretty small and light. It was way easier to use than the 350, even with those weird-looking keys. Anyway, it didn’t last me too long, since Nextel was putting out some really good plans with that radio feature around that time.

Everyone in my family started using those IDEN phones because it was the big thing to talk on the darn walkie-talkie. It was kind of ironic—just as I finally got a good plan for calls, everyone else was ditching them. So, my next phone had to be from that company, too, since their phones were what everyone was getting.

But, since nothing’s perfect in this life, its biggest problem was the crappy VGA camera it had.”

Motorola i275.

This was the first of my phones in the U.S. that came with a generous monthly plan for calls and radio. The plan only charged me for the calls I made, not for the calls that came in, which was pretty normal back in Peru. It also had this awesome unlimited radio package so I could talk to any Nextel phone in all the different countries where they had service.

This was a perfect phone—light and built to last. I dropped it a ton of times, but it never got a single scratch. But, since nothing’s perfect in this life, its biggest problem was the crappy VGA camera it had. By then, I was already taking a bunch of photos, and I could tell I was gonna need a phone with way better features.

It was smaller than the i275, and the big advantage on both was the camera, Nextel phones rarely had one back then.”

Motorola i860.

This phone was pretty cool, but it was super fragile compared to the last one. It had pretty much the same specs, but it was a little more expensive. It was smaller than the i275, and the big advantage on both was the camera, Nextel phones rarely had one back then. Usually, a Nextel was for the radio and a little texting, but the cameras on both of those phones changed all that.

I got it from a cousin and honestly, I really liked it because of its size and that cool flip phone design. Even so, it didn’t last very long because its delicate build was a huge problem. Having it was kinda more about saying, “Check out this sweet phone I have—can you tell it has a walkie-talkie?” but hey, it did the job.

And out of all my phones, this was the only one girls I was dating would always ask to use.”

Nokia 7280.

This phone was incredible—super awkward to use, but incredible. With its light design, people called it the “lipstick” phone. I really enjoyed using it. My ex-brother-in-law gave it to me when he changed carriers, and after I tried it out, it wasn’t long before I adopted it. Its looks were deceiving because it had everything, just shrunken down. The most impressive thing was the camera, which was really decent for back then.

You could text on it, but it was kinda tough since you had to use the wheel to find the letter you wanted to write. The design was definitely an eye-catcher because the screen turned into a mirror when it was off. And out of all my phones, this was the only one girls I was dating would always ask to use. Not to make calls, of course.

All that stuff made it super reliable. It was one of those phones that just perfectly met all my needs.”

Motorola K1 KRZR.

I was pretty bummed when the Nokia 7280 started to crap out, since its design was definitely its weakest point. Especially the wheel, which was the first thing to wear out and was not easy to fix. The Motorola KRZR that replaced it came with a good camera, a super comfortable keypad, a flip design, and a double screen.

All that stuff made it super reliable. It was one of those phones that just perfectly met all my needs. The only downside was the way you had to get on the internet. Other than that, I had no complaints with that all-terrain of a phone. It was a total trooper, came with me everywhere, and never let me down—until I tragically dropped it and it died on me.

Buying the original iPhone was a total turning point for me when it came to cellphones.”

iPhone 2G.

Honestly, you could see it coming. It was only a matter of time before I got my first phone made by Apple. Buying the original iPhone was a total turning point for me when it came to cellphones. It was a massive leap from a traditional mobile, but a way better user experience by a long shot.

Browsing the internet, using apps, YouTube, GMail, Pandora—the whole iTunes integration was a huge game-changer. I even started texting more than talking and putting album art on my songs. I obviously switched from the mp3 to the aac format. The last thing I was worried about was making a phone call.

I could even browse the internet with this phone outside of any hotspot, since the iPhone didn’t have 3G.”

Motorola i856W.

Then I got a new smartphone, the Motorola i856w, which had radio and internet together. Fun fact: the ‘W’ stood for “women.” Honestly, using a phone that was marketed to ladies didn’t bother me or scare me. After all, I had already had the Nokia 7280 that looked like a lipstick, so I can handle anything.

With two phones, I couldn’t have been more connected. The original iPhone seemed like enough, but they actually complemented each other perfectly. I could even browse the internet with this phone outside of any hotspot, since the iPhone didn’t have 3G. I couldn’t have been happier with both of them—one had a monthly plan and the other had a prepaid plan just for browsing.

It had all the features of a KRZR, and as the last of the original RAZRs, it connected to the internet pretty well.”

Motorola V3XX RAZR.

Lima was pretty rough on my iPhone. It got stolen, along with my i856w, and suddenly I had no phones. So, with that dilemma, I had to improvise with a temporary phone, and that was the Motorola RAZR. It’s kinda funny to think that, without even trying, that model—the V3XX—became the first 3G phone I ever owned.

It had all the features of a KRZR, and as the last of the original RAZRs, it connected to the internet pretty well. I think it ran on that Symbian operating system or something proprietary, so it wasn’t super comfortable to use. I didn’t use it much for browsing, but it definitely got me out of some jams. Another great phone.

Once everyone switched over, having two phones—even if one was for work—just wasn’t necessary anymore.”

Motorola i335.

To fill the gap left by the i856w, this phone was super handy for the walkie-talkie. I found it pretty practical and simple, honestly. Unlike the RAZR, this one didn’t even last long enough to be a transition phone, because I barely used it. The only reason it’s even on this list is because it turned out to be my last phone with iDEN technology.

My family slowly stopped using the radio because of all the new Android smartphones that were flooding the market. Once everyone switched over, having two phones—even if one was for work—just wasn’t necessary anymore. The walkie-talkie became useless, and everyone stopped using the radio real quick. Mobile internet had won the game.

There wasn’t a huge difference from the original iPhone—maybe a little more memory that made it a bit quicker.”

iPhone 3G.

It wasn’t long before I got a new iPhone, this time the 3G. It was faster and tougher. I finally had internet on my phone without being tied to Wi-Fi, so I didn’t have to worry about hitting up a Starbucks or some other hotspot just to get online. I was even using Skype more than my regular calling plan.

Not that different from the original iPhone—maybe a little more memory that made it a bit quicker. Looking at Wikipedia, they seem pretty much the same. The 3G had the same processor but a little more RAM. So yeah, it was only a slight upgrade on paper, but the fact that I could use the internet out on the street changed everything.

That 16GB was clutch, too—I could load up all the music I love and take it with me.”

iPhone 3GS.

Out of all my previous phones, the iPhones were a whole new level. It felt like I had a computer right in my hand. The 3GS was way faster than the others, thanks to the extra RAM and multitasking. I could be on a Skype call and a regular one would come in without the app closing

That 16GB was clutch, too—I could load up all the music I love and take it with me. And it’s no secret that I can’t live without my tunes. I even started using WhatsApp on it. hI used it less as a phone and more like a mini portable computer. I really loved my last iPhone.

The downside of that Milestone 1 was the limited RAM, which is why I got rid of it so fast.”

Motorola Milestone 1.

My first flirtation with Android was through the Motorola Milestone 1, which seemed like a pretty interesting phone. I liked it mostly because it had a bigger touchscreen than the iPhone and a physical keyboard. Plus, if I didn’t feel like using that, it had a virtual keyboard too, so you had both options right there on the same phone.

The downside of that Milestone 1 was the limited RAM, which is why I got rid of it so fast. It was the phone that lasted me the shortest amount of time and ended up with my cousin Carmen using it. It didn’t last her long either. I think she sold it and bought a Huawei. That phone was just kinda unlucky.

I figured this phone was just a temp thing until the iPhone 5 came out.”

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2.

So here’s the deal with iPhones, when Apple says you’re done, you’re done. Their software just becomes outdated so fast—that’s planned obsolescence, which is something people are really talking about. I’m the kind of guy who holds onto a phone for a while, and not a lot of people use a mobile as long as I do.

I figured this phone was just a temp thing until the iPhone 5 came out. But it totally grew on me, and I still keep it for backup. Fast and customizable in a way the iPhone just couldn’t be. Android won me over for good. I haven’t gone back to this day, and I could easily go for many more years without an iPhone.

Out of all my phones, this is the one I’m loading up with a ton of widgets.”

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.

The SGS4 Mini is my current phone. I’ve only had it for six months, and I have no major complaints. I’m still not sold on getting a bigger smartphone—that’s what I have my iPad for—but I’m pretty happy. Out of all my phones, this is the one I’m loading up with a ton of widgets. I’m totally milking it for all it’s worth.

I’ve decked out the phone to my liking—something that’s way more limited on iOS, even though I feel like iOS is more robust than Android. But when it comes to freedom and customization, Android lets you do way more with the phone than iOS. Plus, you can sync it with your Google account so you never have to worry about losing your contacts list.

In fact, the only downside with my latest phone is that I still can’t get used to the plastic case. Maybe when graphene phones come out, that’ll be the right time to get my 20th phone. If iOS offered the versatility of Android, maybe I’d go back to the Apple brand, but I doubt it’ll happen.

In a future post, I’ll talk more about my personal experience with Android and I’ll include more pictures from my smartphone. So that’s the end of my recap. Of course, when I get another one, I’ll post about it on the blog.

Meet you at the next entry.