Vintage Technology: Polaroid Camera, Vibrators, and Old Cell Phones

Motorola's Cellphone 8000X, c1983

Motorola's Cellphone 8000X, c1983

Vintage cell phones are now being considered "recent antiques" according to Retro Brick, an ancient mobile dealer. Sure there are no apps for these pre-loved dialers but that is not the point. While some of these babies still actually work, the phones are being sold for display purposes only. Which almost makes sense considering that the phone shown here, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, originally sold for $4,000 in 1983. FYI, it was the first commercial cell phone.

Vibrator's for your "cheeks"

Vibrator's for your "cheeks"

Polaroid's ColorPack Camera and Film

Polaroid's ColorPack Camera and Film

A decade ago the Museum of Sex opened in NYC and now on April 12th, San Francisco will have the Antique Vibrator Museum. On display will be devices from 1870 - 1970. The machines were originally intended to treat female "hysteria"-- a condition that was later debunked and thankfully kicked to the curb by the American Psychiatric Association in 1952. Too bad PMS is a real thing (and I am saying this as a woman who suffers from PMS). Checkout Examiner.com's quick slideshow too. The Hamilton-BeachHistory In April of 1910 Frederick Osius founded his new company Hamilton-Beach to manufacture quality electrical products.

Frederick Osius paid Chester Beach and Louis Hamilton $1,000 each to use their names for his new company.” The pair left Standard Electric and joined Osius in the new corporation.

Some of the first products were a line of high-quality vibrators, small motors and their new “Cyclone Drink Mixer. shown here, we suspect, is from the 1910's.

I grew up in a Polaroid family. When I was a child I was not interested in the actual pictures the camera took. I just wanted to etch curly squiggles on the image as soon as it shot out of the camera. Anywho, I recently got a kick out of seeing the iconic packaging Paul Giambarba designed for Polaroid back in the late 1950's. His goal was to distinguish the brand from Kodak. I have to say, Giambarba might be the reason why Polaroid is still iconic today.