In message , at 10:18:46 on Sat, 31 Mar
2012, Stephen Sprunk remarked:
Phones you could put in your pocket or wear on your belt didn't become
common until the mid-90s, IIRC.

My first cellphone was definitely a pocket phone (it was marketed as
such). I bought it in mid 1988 and although a bit big for a "shirt
pocket" it fitted a jacket pocket really well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excel_mobile_phones
http://vintage-mobile.livejournal.com/16417.html

The biggest problem with the Excel was that the battery was wired in and
not a user-changeable item. Nor did they accept that it was covered by
the product's 5yr maintenance contract. (They finally settled on the
courtroom steps).

And I won't buy products (other than maybe a trivial MP3 player) with
wired in batteries ever since - sorry, Apple.
--
Roland Perry