Original Sinner…Err Slider

Sometimes the Mobile division of ThinkComputers likes to look back at where things all started.  At one point in time, through everyone’s cell phone journey, we’ve all experienced a “slide” phone. Some of us fell in love, and some of us never looked back once we moved on. But sometimes you have to ponder… what phone was the phone to start the slide craze that seems to still be prominent today?

The Kyocera Slider SE47 appeared in the U.S. in the spring of 2004. By the spring of 05’ every major carrier made claim to this little fashion statement and at one point it was the most popular phone available. It featured and inventive slide feature that hid the keypad making the phone incredibly tiny. Virgin Mobile is the first carrier that put in on the market (how often can you say that?) and somehow the “coolness” of the phone made it popular enough for the big guys to also pick it up. For it’s time the spec on the phone weren’t that bad:

Specifications

• Modes: CDMA 800 / CDMA 1900
• Weight: 3.39oz (96g)
• Dimensions: 3.46″x1.89″x0.98″ (88mmx48mmx25mm)
• Battery life(est.): Talk 3.5 hrs  Standby 100hrs(4.2 days)
• Battery type: Lithium-Ion
• Display: LCD(color) size 128×128 pixels 65,000colors/STN
• Phone book capacity: 200
• MSRP: USD$149.99

Frequent Caller List: The Frequent Caller List simply gathers information about most frequently called contacts. When you hit the phone book button, it displays them before the rest of the list.

Airplane Mode: The Airplane Mode is great for those who find themselves traveling by air on a regular basis. Since cell phones are not permitted in flight due to the radio signals that they emit, the Airplane Mode actually cuts off the transmitting/receiving circuit of the phone. Users can still enjoy playing any downloaded games on the SE-47 or schedule appointments while not interfering with the plane’s radio signals.

Hold: Now, we’re not talking about the kind of hold you get while calling the doctor’s office. Instead, imagine that you get a phone call from someone while you’re busy.  Sure, you can press the END button and have the caller go straight to voice mail. With the “hold” feature, however, you can actually program a message into your phone, telling the caller to hold on for you until you are ready to take their phone call. Pressing 2 buttons when you receive a phone call will put the caller on hold and let you finish your business while the party waits.

Doodler: The “Doodler” is a custom program patented by Kyocera that lets users create simple graphics on the cell phone to include them in messages or use as background images. It makes users Michelangelo’s of the bitmap, but is certainly a fun feature to use.

I purchased the phone once it appeared on the Verizon network and it’s honestly the last phone I ever owned that I never had a single issue with. Maybe that was a simpler time? Maybe I expected less out of cell phones? Maybe I was naïve? But it’s still a wonderful feeling when thinking back to a piece off electronics that you used religiously everyday for almost 2 years. Actually, that’s a lie. 1 month before my “new every 2” the battery got really loose and I had to take it to the store and have them fix the battery clip. Other than that… Issue free.