 This is the fusion of reality and science fiction. I'm Walt Mossberg. I have been reviewing tech gadgets since the early 90s and collecting them since the 80s. I wanted to show you some of my collection. This was a very popular dumb phone, I guess you would call it. The Motorola StarTAC. It came out in 1996, 11 years before the iPhone. And it was widely believed to have been inspired by the Star Trek communicator, which Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock would whip open on some planet, communicate back with the ship. And that's what this did. Except on only one planet. Planet A. Earth. A lot of the success of tech over the last 40 years has been these things are objects of desire. Carrying this at that time made you cool. You spies sure have some cool toys. How did you? Check out the Motorola StarTAC sailor phone, the smallest, lightest sailor phone in the world. I think the design is now obsolete in the sense that consumers don't seem to want flip phones. Instead they want giant phablets. But for many, many years flip phones were the thing and lots of other people made them. This isn't the only thing which, at least in design, was inspired by Star Trek and other science fiction. I don't believe you could actually transport yourself to the planet, the alien planet with it, but maybe someday.
 This is the fusion of reality and science fiction.
 I'm Walt Mossberg.
 I have been reviewing tech gadgets since the early 90s and collecting them since the 80s.
 I wanted to show you some of my collection.
 This was a very popular dumb phone, I guess you would call it.
 The Motorola StarTAC.
 It came out in 1996, 11 years before the iPhone.
 And it was widely believed to have been inspired by the Star Trek communicator, which Captain
 Kirk and Mr. Spock would whip open on some planet, communicate back with the ship.
 And that's what this did.
 Except on only one planet.
 Planet A. Earth.
 A lot of the success of tech over the last 40 years has been these things are objects
 of desire.
 Carrying this at that time made you cool.
 You spies sure have some cool toys.
 How did you?
 Check out the Motorola StarTAC sailor phone, the smallest, lightest sailor phone in the
 world.
 I think the design is now obsolete in the sense that consumers don't seem to want flip
 phones.
 Instead they want giant phablets.
 But for many, many years flip phones were the thing and lots of other people made them.
 This isn't the only thing which, at least in design, was inspired by Star Trek and other
 science fiction.
 I don't believe you could actually transport yourself to the planet, the alien planet with
 it, but maybe someday.