Page QR CODE 15/24Mobiles / Toys
The mobile phone is the result of different technologies that for the most part already existed in the 1940s.
On 3 April 1973, Martin Cooper and Joel Engel, engineers at Motorola, spoke to each other using a wireless telephone measuring 33 cm and weighing 1 kilo—it was the first mobile phone ever used.
The GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) standard was born in the early 1980s from a European desire to have a common pan-European mobile phone system.
In March 1984, Motorola released the first viable and functional mobile phone, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. It sold for $3,995 and was a far cry from the smartphones we use today, weighing 800 grams and measuring 25 centimetres in length.
In October 1991, the Bi-Bop was launched in Paris as the first personal mobile phone.
To allow the Bi-Bop to be used, small relay stations were installed on the walls of buildings in Paris (top display case).
“Eurosignal” and pagers such as the “Tatoo” made it possible to stay connected while on the move (top display case).
Itineris’ “Ola” would then take over, and the mobile phone would experience extraordinary growth.
Toys
Toy telephones are faithful and sometimes misleading replicas of the devices used by adults.
These toys are from the 1950s. They are made of painted tin. Equipped with ringers, they ring when you manipulate the dial or when you pick up the handset.
On the middle shelf, you will find telephones that are faithful representations of cartoon characters: Mickey, with a backpack as a handset; Garfield, whose eyes open when you pick up the phone; and Bugs Bunny.
You will also discover educational games on the theme of telecommunications such as “Allô la France” (“Hello France”) or “Quelle pagaille!” (“What a mess!”).