Panasonic has not been able to gain a foothold in the Russian mobile phone market due to strong competition from Chinese and Korean brands (Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Meizu). However, she left a good memory in the form of an unusual Panasonic GD55 phone . What kind of phone is this and what is its feature?
Characteristics Panasonic GD55
Just note that the parameters of the phone are not impressive. They are standard by the standards of the time (year of manufacture: 2002). The phone supports GSM900 / 1800/1900 communication standards, has a blue backlit display with a resolution of 112x64 pixels, can display 4 lines of text and weighs only 65 grams. But the main feature is the size. This “baby” is only 7.7 cm long, 4.3 wide and 1.7 thick. At the same time, the Panasonic GD55 battery can withstand 8 hours of talk, and it stays in standby mode for 430 hours. Given the low energy consumption, this is logical.
Extra options
The Panasonic GD55, like any other phone of that time, had a cool organizer: an alarm clock, a clock, a calculator, a wallpaper, a converter of different currencies, etc. There is a speaker, because of which you can speak on the speakerphone, a vibrating alert. Moreover, WAP 1.1 was even available, which provided Internet access.
Well, then everything is standard: 250 names in the phone book, polyphony for 4 tones, memory for the last 10 missed and received calls. Sending and receiving text messages are included. In general, the Panasonic GD55 does not have any unique characteristics, but the size is really impressive.
Unique size is the main advantage
When the size of a lighter or matchbox, the phone was really very convenient. Firstly, the keys are pressed easily and always accurately. A nice backlight helps to cope in the dark, and judging by the feedback from users, they never had a problem with the erroneous button presses. Of course, if the user has big hands and fingers, then such a “baby” will definitely not suit him, but to all the rest - completely.
Reliability and signal reception are also on top. Where other mobile phones lose contact, the Panasonic GD55 shows 1-2 sticks, and this is the merit of a cool radio module. If you remember, then polyphony in 2002 was considered a cool "chip." If we draw an analogy, then polyphony in 2002 is a bit of a good double rear camera today. So the Panasonic GD55 can be completely recorded in the flagships of that time. Although then this term was not applied to phones.
There is much to be said about reliability, but this is not only the prerogative of the Panasonic GD55. Many of these mobile gadgets of the time are reliable. They are still working and will work for decades without breakdowns and glitches. So, although the Panasonic GD55 can be praised in this regard, it is impossible to single out this feature as an advantage over the others.
Modern analogues
Modern mobile gadgets can compete with the GD55. However, it is worth considering that today technology has gone far ahead, so modern electronics can be much smaller compared to the electronics of that time. Therefore, the GD55 at one time made a real revolution in terms of the size of mobile phones.
The very first competitor is the Long-CZ J8. This phone looks like a car keychain, although it has all the necessary functionality.
The second analogue is the so-called Cardphone with a miniature screen and huge keys. In fact, they are not so big, but against the background of a small display they look just huge. Such a phone unofficially received the name of the people "grandmother" due to the fact that some users buy it for the elderly. This is a simple dialer that is no longer suitable for anything.
Recently, fashion has also gone on for phones that are designed as key chains for BMW, Mercedes, Porsche cars. They are not just similar, but identical, including in size. Most likely, they are designed for people who want to show in society that they have cars. But this is a topic for another article.