Comments on: BGR flashback: Motorola StarTac Clip-On!

By: Roy

Roy — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 07:21:53 +0000

Hey,I’ve still got my Startac(s) and my wife and I are still using them on Verizon…they still work great.Verizon is cutting analog support in Feb’08,but my Startac has been working fine on CDMA 800 digital…I may be able to continue using it after the changeover to Verizon’s “all-digital network” in Feb’08, since it is and has been working as a digital phone on their network for years now.

If you have one (Digital Startac) that’s working on Verizon now,DON’T deactivate it and give it up,even if they send you a letter saying their” records show” you are using an analog device”and you have to change to a new
digital device by Feb’08.
Tell ‘em it IS aDigital phone…it’s Dual-Mode…digital and analog…just because they won’t support analog service anymore doesn’t mean it won’t still work digitally- it will!

Once you turn it off,they wont let you re-activate it,per Fed, Regs. Just refuse to deactivate it,since it WILL work on the “All NEW Verizon Digital Network” (meaning they are dropping support for analog networks,like many providers.) after Feb.’08.

If they give you a hard time,ask for an “Executive Appeal” from their Customer Service Headquarters…don’t waste time talking to a reg. Service Rep;ask for a Supervisor. If they don’t help,ask how you can make an “Executive Appeal”.

Since they recently announced they are going to let you bring your own devices to their network,why not a Startac,if it will work on their network? Maybe with a GPS chipset…(SirfStar III ?) to meet Fed. GPS regs?

I don’t think you can activate a Startac digital phone now if it isn’t already on…Fed.regulations require all phones newly activated to have GPS capability so “enhanced”911 services can find you..(or maybe so the Gummint can find you,too…if they like.) (:@)

Original Startac dual-mode digital phones can’t be “found” as they don’t have GPS chips or functionality…so you kind of need to know where you are if you call 911 for help. With GPS enabled phones,”they” KNOW where you are!

If you’ve got a Startac phone currently activated…keep it activated!
It’s probably STILL one of the best,(and,IMHO,”coolest”) cell phones!

I’ve also got the Startac clip-on organizer,but I don’t use it,although it works fine…adds a bit more “cool”(and weight).Love it..works great…and,of course,”If it ain’t broke..don’t fix it!” I know it’s a bit “retro” noiw…but hey…so is the New Beetle and the new Mini. I like them,too! And they work!

By: frank

frank — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:54:41 +0000

My favorite part about the StarTac was the stealth-factor. Between the phone being all black and the surprisingly elegant belt clip, it was nearly invisible on your hip. Finding an all black phone has been all but impossible for about the last five years. Why is it so impossible for me to have the functionality of a belt clip without looking like a retard?

By: NMZ

NMZ — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:46:09 +0000

My college professor still had one hanging off his hip last year, when i saw it i didnt understand what that was.

By: Greyzzz

Greyzzz — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:45:48 +0000

I had one of those! I remember i paid about $400 for my StarTac and another $200 for the clip on. The best thing was u could just use the clip on as an organizer. Shame it looked so ugly cliped on and had no backlight feature.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:43:00 +0000

I had a grey and black StarTac. Best phone I have ever used, and I say that with my blackberry laying next to me. I never had the clipon but knew someone that did (I also didn’t have that much money in high school.).

Too bad you can’t use the StarTac’s anymore, really amazing phone.

By: RavenII

RavenII — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:39:11 +0000

I still have 2 of these brand new in the box!…haha, I thought I was so cool at 16…

By: David P

David P — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:19:27 +0000

I still have a couple of these in the original boxes. They also sync’d up with Yahoo contacts and calendars which was pretty cutting edge at that time!

By: Joshua

Joshua — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:14:47 +0000

I wish I had my star tac. I loved this clipon. Still have it.

By: M

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:39:10 +0000

I had one, and it seemed cool, the way corduroy pants once seemed cool. Think it had software from Phillipe Khan’s Starfish Software.

By: scott

scott — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:11:38 +0000

The Startac was such a great phone.. I remember having one.. Loved it. I’d almost like to see them come out with another one, but obviously with the modern day features.

It’s a toss of up between that and a Sony phone I used to have being my favorites.. I thought the jog dial was so cool.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:23:24 +0000

I had a Startac in Highschool (I got it outta luck bascially) and I remember being in the halls and everyone thought I was a drug dealer. But I even had the teachers wanting to see it, thats how amazing this phone was, up until that point no one had anything this compact. then the Q phone came out from Qualcomm. Moto sued them but didny win. Ahh the memories

By: Mikey P

Mikey P — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:05:20 +0000

this is so awesome this is why bgr is my favorite site, you actually love phones and technology instead of just writing about them, clipon was hot, of course i had one!

By: fxboy

fxboy — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:57:23 +0000

1 word.. “vintage” Anyone want my old PAGERS? LOL! I still have them in a box with my old morgue of phones..lol

By: Lucah76

Lucah76 — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:23:02 +0000

I had a Star-Tac and kept breaking that darn antenna. I always wanted the clip on though…but since I was a college student at the time it was narry a fantasy. Remember the LED read-out of the actual phone?

By: jdlnmia

jdlnmia — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:14:16 +0000

Ahhh memories…. I had one of these to compliment my palm pilot professional…

By: Josh Hallett

Josh Hallett — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:52:55 +0000

I had one as well….and it makes me wonder, what the hell happened to it since I still have the Star-Tac.

I remember it used Starfish for the PC-sync functionality.

By: Marc Jaffe

Marc Jaffe — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:34:26 +0000

I still have one. it is going on e-bay soon.

By: JS

JS — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:34:05 +0000

I soooo had one of these. I remember the struggle: “…do I want to use the organizer today – or do I need the extended battery instead…ummm…”

What a flashback.

By: Crashoverride

Crashoverride — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:25:57 +0000

I sooo loved this thing! It was a great compromise from not carrying my “Palm Pilot” and it really was a pretty good UI for the size and the era. It was one of the few devices that actually synced right 90% of the time. and it really paved the way for the modern cell phone interface with icons and PIM features. Good Call BG!

By: Ariel

Ariel — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:07:11 +0000

Keep em coming! Wish I had BGR back then too!!

By: marvONE

marvONE — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:05:16 +0000

All I can say is "My What Lovely Hands You Have!"

By: DocZ

DocZ — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:58:20 +0000

I don’t think my NDA’s from the early 90’s are still active, but the first draft of this was designed and prototyped 4 years earlier. It was unceremoniously rejected for being to computer like for phone use. And I quote from the meeting notes, “Who wants to carry around your computer on your phone?” I still get a chuckle about that one every time I dial my Blackberry. By the time they saw the light and resurrected the program, the phone was half the size it once was and the functionality was a copycat of what Palm was doing at the time (Just without the phone part). I love remembering the good old days at the big “M”.

By: MJL

MJL — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:18:32 +0000

Man…this really brings back memories! I remember that the StarTac was thee cellphone to have (at least to me it was!!!) I had to Tac’s and a clip on!

Sweet!!!

By: Dan Donshik

Dan Donshik — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:14:57 +0000

Yup – I had one too. I can’t remember what I paid for it, or the startac for that matter. Probably too much…

By: Mike Fries

Mike Fries — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:10:20 +0000

It’s a sickness, yea I had one and just about everything else up to and including the iPhone!

By: Cameron Newland

Cameron Newland — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:09:52 +0000

In the mid 90’s, I got hooked on gadgets by seeing and then being seated on our flight next to this Blaupunkt employee who had a StarTAC. I was a little kid in awe. He let me play with the StarTAC. I knew then that all I wanted to do in life was own the sweetest devices.

By: hill

hill — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:03:58 +0000

I should have owned this with my StarTac, does anyone know if Verizon will still let you activate a StarTac ?

By: b.N

b.N — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:46:48 +0000

trying to fill the gap in tech news eh? ;0)

maybe it’s time to ride some of the staff to step up their game. make sure Karp gets a bonus box in his x-mas stocking around the office, he sure earned it this year.

By: Lizzy

Lizzy — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:31:41 +0000

My husband made me spend $400 on this thing! It practically cost as much as the StarTac! He loved it though, and at the time, this was so cool. Money well spent

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:26:42 +0000

I had one – These were the hot item back in the day!!