When the Motorola v3 cell phone hit the streets a while back, it represented more than just another innovation from a company that has become synonymous with cool design and pushing the envelope technologically. The RAZR v3 was actually the culmination of effort by a company that was once the last place a person could expect to find a must-have piece of cellular phone technology.In order to understand how the Motorola v3 came to be, it is important to first trace the roots of this truly global company.

The Early History of Motorola

Motorola began as a Chicago-based company that made "battery eliminators" for radios. While the name sounds a little strange to us now, the term battery eliminator actually refers to the first electrical outlet plug-in devices for radios. Not content with that innovation, Motorola would also go on to develop the world's first two-way walkie-talkie device - an instrument they would sell to the military and then private businesses.

Groundbreaking Developments in Cellular Technology

Perhaps Motorola's greatest moment came in 1983, when they developed and were granted an FCC license for the world's first commercial cellular phone. The DynaTAC 8000X is comically huge by today's standards, but at the time it represented a revolution that would allow people to communicate with one another from anywhere - and without the assistance of a land-line based phone.

The V3 RAZR and other Innovations

While maintaining a strong presence in the microprocessor industry, Motorola had a design team working on what would become one of their signature products. When the RAZR cell phone line became available on the market, consumers were not quite sure what to make of it.

Could something that looked this futuristic actually be a viable communication device?

By the time the Motorola V3 version of the phone appeared several iterations later, the question was answered to the tune of millions of unit shipped and universal praise not only from tech-reviewers but the product design industry as well.

What does the Future Hold for Motorola?

Currently, Motorola is focusing a significant percentage of their efforts on the development of Bluetooth wireless headsets for cell phones. Since their introduction into the market just a few short years ago, Bluetooth has become the "industry standard" for wireless devices and has received a boost thanks to the enactment of hands-free driving laws in many states (including, most notably, California).Motorola also picked up the gauntlet dropped by Apple, L/G, Research in Motion (Blackberry) and other companies and is developing newer, sleeker versions of their RAZR v3 and other lines of cell phones. Each of these phones is reaching the consumer with more and more features such as GPS, MP3 players, Broadband Internet connections and other perks.