Cell Phones From The Early '00s Every Cool Kid Had

The turn of the millennium was a game-changer for technology. The enormous cell phones of the '80sand '90s gave way to a rebirth in mobile devices — the beginnings of the smartphones we've come to rely on so heavily today. The popular devices of the '00s looked astonishingly different from today's — and the cell phones from the early 2000s that the cool kids had were extra creative with all of the new technology that was becoming available. Cell phones were all kinds of unique shapes and sizes: Some had full keyboards, and others had none; some had colorful screens, while others were black and white; some flipped open, while others slid. You'd look at them today and think, "... WTF." But back in the day, they were hot, hot, hot.

It's tough to wrap your mind around just how high tech some of these gadgets were in the early '00s. You look at your smartphone today and think, "Why wouldn't it have a camera? Why wouldn't it be touchscreen? Why wouldn't it display in full color?" Rewind about 15 years, though, and the landscape of mobile devices was totally different.

The early millennium, like every time period, had its own trendy purchases and fads. If you wanted to fit in with the cool crowd, odds are that at one point or another, you had one of these in your pocket.

1. The Motorola RAZR

I can't go any further without giving a shout-out to RAZR phones. This was the phone of the new millennium, and the news that RAZR phones are coming back is bringing out the excited teenager in all of us. Give me a hot pink RAZR phone any day of the week.

2. The Motorola KRZR

I know what you're thinking, and yes, this is a real thing. The KRZR (also known as the Canary) was a close sibling to the RAZR, but longer and narrower.

3. The LG enV

The LG enV had a full keyboard, this itty bitty screen, and it flipped open. Look at it. How could you not want this sexy piece of mobile technology?

4. The Nokia "Lipstick" Phone

What in the world? Well, you have to give Nokia brownie points for creativity. The 7280 — dubbed the "lipstick" phone — had a slider end and eliminated the dial pad completely. Functionality aside, it's easy to see why people would go bonkers over this phone. Heck, I'd carry it around today.

5. The T-Mobile Sidekick

This is considered by some to be the coolest smartphone ever. The Sidekick was also known as the Hiptop, and it was basically a mini computer. It was a top choice for many celebrities in the early millennium, and its popularity is still remembered today.

6. The BlackBerry Pearl

I like to think of BlackBerry as the pre-iPhone iPhone: If you wanted to be hip, you had to have a BlackBerry. The Pearl was originally released in 2006, and it was the first BlackBerry device with a camera and media player.

7. The Original iPhone

June 2007 introduced us to the original iPhone. Included in its host of new features were an auto-rotate sensor and a touchscreen interface that completely replaced the QWERTY keyboard. This device was the foundation for the phone so many of us use today to not only text and talk, but listen to music, watch movies, and access each and every corner of the internet.

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