Happy Birthday, iPhone! Do You Remember Your First Cell Phone?

When I read the news that the iPhone has officially been on sale for fourteen years today, I couldn't help but think about how far cell phones have come over the last couple of years.

I remember getting my very first cell phone at the end of 8th grade when I was gearing up to enter high school and my mom felt it necessary to (finally) get me one so she could keep tabs on me. I'm on the cusp of both the millennial and Gen Z generation, so I didn't JUST grow up with smartphones. Nope, I remember the days of flip phones and the Nextel chirp walkie-talkie phone things (clearly, I don't remember what those were called). I remember having to play Tetris and all those weird games that came pre-programmed in your device.

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I also remember being terrified when accidentally hitting the "connect to Internet" button on my phone because I knew that would make the phone bill spike into the stratosphere and would result in me getting grounded. I even remember purchasing ringback tones because it just WASN'T cool for people to have to listen to a boring old ring while waiting for me to answer, so I made sure I always had a fresh song that would play when people were trying to reach me.

Whether your first phone was an LG, a Samsung, or a simple flip phone, it's crazy to think about how far that technology has progressed over the last decade and a half.

Do you remember your first cell phone?