Ericsson GE model AH97 Pocketfone (AMPS 800) circa 1993
Ericsson GE model AH97 Pocketfone (AMPS 800) circa 1993:
Back around 1992 while I was in college, a good friend said he was going to go to Cedar Rapid (hour drive) to
Best Buy to check out their new Cell Phone kiosk. (first in the state?) and would I like to tag along. Sure.
So we get there and it looks like a jewelry counter, with all these phones lined up in a long row, with the
cheap bag phones, giant Motorola walkie talkies, and and phones on a 15 foot curly cord (car mount) on the left,
and the sleeker hand-held ones on the right. The phones had little cards by them, indicating cost, and the
phone plan they came with. The phones on the left were cheap and had the low cost plans, and the ones on the
right were expensive and had very high cost plans. While the phone prices were on par with today's phones,
the plans were on a whole different level than what anyone is used to today. CHEAP plans would be around $60
a month, and included TEN (yes really) minutes a month, $1 for each additional MINUTE. Also, incoming calls
counted towards your minutes too. The expensive plans were much worse, closer to $250 a month for 30 minutes,
50 cents each additional minute. Much more than we could afford. But of course these plans were subsidizing
the cost of the phones.
Since this counter just went in today, this was the sales guy's first day on it and he knew about as much as
we did about phone and phone plans. Way on the right end of the display was this sleek, TINY GE flip-phone.
It was beautiful, it had a flip cover over the keypad, the buttons were soft AND back-lit, it had a four-line
dot-matrix display (also back-lit) and a fold-down antenna. It could fit in your pocket. But it was $250
for the phone, and the plan was $250/month. This was NOT a "normal" cell phone for the day - everyone that
had a cell phone was using a bag phone, a car "stick phone", or a giant motorola walkie talkie.
After drooling over this thing we obviously could not afford, I noticed the cheapest phones on the left came
with a plan for 10 minutes a month ($1 each additional minute) for only $65 a month. THAT was affordable.
So I asked the kid, "Can you sell THIS phone" (the GE) with THAT plan? (the bag phone)" He shrugs and says
"Sure, I guess so." Without missing a beat, my friend says "I'll take one!" To which I added "I'll take one
too!" Although we didn't know it at the time, we had both walked out having paid $250 for what was probably a
$2,000 phone, on a contract meant to pay off a $300 phone. I recall later someone else asking where we got
that neat phone, and I told them to tall BB in CR and ask for (name). They called and asked to speak with him,
but were told "he doesn't work here anymore." oops...
Bonus.... about 2 monts later I get notified that they are giving my plan a free buff, I now get 20 minutes
a month, and additional minutes will only cost 50 cents each, with no change to the monthly bill. Sweet!
antenna up and keypad cover open
back with battery removed
front
oblique
with carrying pouch
highest resolution images
last updated 12/08/2023 at 19:08:35 by make_www_index.command version 2023.12.07.D
