1994 First "Personal Communicator" Technology. When Did You Get Yours? 

Laying in bed all day playing games on a handheld device? This guy was way ahead of his time. This is awesome David. I would love to see more.

It’s so interesting watching ordinary people living their everyday life in a time before you were born. Thank you for your work!

I didn’t get mine until around 1997! I love this. Looking back sometimes seems like a million years ago and then you realize it wasn’t that long ago at all! Keep them coming please!

Oh yeah! I worked for an early IT company in the 70’s as an electronics engineer, and traveled quite a bit. We had pagers but no cell phones or anything like that. We still had to rely on landlines and payphones. Later I transitioned to another larger IT company and got both pager and bag/car phones in the late 70s and early 80s. Later we got the brick phones as technology gave us new ways to keep in touch with customers and management. We later upgraded to Blackberries and cell phones in the late 90s but still carried a pager at times due to reception issues with the Blackberries. I built my first personal pc in 94, even though I had been working on IBM PCs since the early 80s. By today’s standards it was a dinosaur. Hard to believe how much tech has changed over the years to keep people in touch! Thanks for the look back in time!

I remember my Mom commenting to my Dad back in the early days of computers and technology revolving around the future we call The Internet....."Oh that's just great...now they have managed to make The Idiot Box (her version of TV) into hand held toys...now nothing will get done around the house! LOLOLOL....I really enjoy looking at the fashions and people and just the whole ambiance and atmosphere of the past! You Deliver The Goods as always Mr. Hoffman......Cheers From Ohio

I remember my uncle had a cell phone in his 7 series BMW in the early/mid 80’s. This was in Switzerland and he was on the lamb from the Italian government at the time. I got suspended from high school in the 90’s for having a skytel pager. Lol somethings don’t fall far from the tree. First PC was a Tandy 1000!

It goes to show what would become smart phones as we knew them did not happen overnight nor in a vacuum. It took years of development and years for the technology to to catch up to the vision. But, the entire vision was laid out in this video in the mid 90s by Hertzfeld!

It’s amazing the first company to launch this service never seems to get the reward. Crazy how that works out.

You never cease to amaze! It’s incredible what you managed to capture over the years!!!

would love to see more of this time period when technology was brewing. love your uploads

It's always fun to revisit the past .. thanks David.

This is brilliant. I became a computer journalist in 1995 so this was basically the era when I first started reporting on tech. It brings back so many memories!

Funny, for years, I always refer to my smart phone, as a 'Personal Communicator'. Enjoyed the footage as always.

Recently I watched the LGR video about General Magic. As weird as it was, it's so cool that in 94 people already knew what we would need in the future. It's amazing to know more about it! Thank you, David.

Keep up the great work. My Grandpa had a mobile phone because of his job. I remember my Mom and my Grandma cringing when it would cackle as a phone call came in which meant something medical wasn't. I remember the time when you picked up the phone to make a call and found yourself in the middle of somebody else's conversation. I have a cashier exact change the other day and the expression was priceless! She rang it in and responed' Well you were right'.

I remember watching tv as a child. We weren't allowed to watch often. However, I do remember hearing your voice from time to time. I've always found your voice very calming. I still enjoy watching your videos, and I still find your voice very calming. May God bless you in your continuing endeavors. 🤗🙏 I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. 😁🎄🧡

Well that video aged beyond well. Fascinating. I love your channel and thank you for sharing these gems.

1985 started a business; 1986 a close relative pulled me into a computer store. Within a few months, purchased 3. At that time, only floppy discs. In later yrs, 1998, became a computer tech and worked on the y2k project. I love technology as long as it doesn't destroy all life on this planet at 6 0 g hz and above.😒💜🙏

Thanks for continually uploading these great snapshots of culture. Very useful to have these to reflect on and gain insight to where we are now.

1994 is a year that is special to me. Thanks for these great clips, and for your top-notch explanation of the clips’ context.

Loved watching this one! My late uncle worked for AT&T in New Jersey. I still remember my very first Mac computer! Have my first MacBook. Even saved my Blackberry , lol.

Thanks very much! I remember these times

Thanks for the nostalgia... as a techie I love this!!

As a historian, I can tell you that this is an invaluable source of information. Please post all available, if you can. Thanks!! 👍

First one I used was a Psion Organiser back in the late 80s I think. I used various mobile phones until the early 2000s when wifi became established then I used a series of laptops. Some of my colleagues used Blackberry devices but I didn't want one of those.

David please put more up these videos are priceless brilliant. Thank you 😊👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏⚘.just wanted to say stay sàfe everyone 😷xx

I'm 19 so fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your opinion) I've grown up with personal computers. Great to be able to see a time before things like touchscreen phone's were even a thing. Great upload 👍

As someone who learned how to text on a Nokia back in 2012. I found this video informative and enjoyable. Thank you very much Mr. Hoffman for your service.

My husband was a computer geek so we had one in our home since the 80s. I did payroll on it for my business and we had games like pacman, space invaders, Jeopardy, wheel of fortune, ping on it. Then I had a beeper and our first cellphone in 1998.

This is a time capsule. Love it

Watching this is so nostalgic. I miss the simpler times in life.. thank you for sharing..

Thank you Mr. David Hoffman. I hope you live a longer life and upload these history moments from your collection. Take Care.

Love all your videos. Today's share: work gave us pagers. Mine was on vibrate @ mtg. I fell off my chair, literally, when it went off. Coworkers recognised the symptoms.

I graduated high school in 94'. I remember in the 3rd grade we had the apple 2e. I didn't like it. Heck I didn't even have an email address untill 2011 when I went back to school for a Welding degree. Heck back then (the 1990's) the only people we saw wearing pagers were mostly drug dealers. Great video

Really enjoyed the flashback in time . I started with a two tone pager each representing a different caller . Then a digital pager that showed a number or symbol. Next a bag phone , car phone and the big hand held cell phone seen in the movie Wall st. I had a computer mid to late 90’s and so on. The pioneers in this video were the brain child’s of communication. It’s easy to build onto a foundation and improve it’s the concept and fruition of things to come forward where the mind is most challenged in my opinion. I must finish up by writing it was great to hear your friend the late great Peter Thomas in this video. Thank you David Hoffman - filmmaker

The Paul Mooney Cameo is epic.

Yes post more early 90’s footage , love that fashion and early technology 😉🙏🏻

Mr. Hoffman, thank you for sharing! I love all of your content. I would love to see more of this. It would also be interesting to hear your comments (and footage) on your progression through film from your beginnings to now.

I built my first computer, 386 in early 90s. First time I used a mouse was 1989

@david Hoffman I love your old videos. Its amazing to remember how far we have come

I recall the dial up tone

Put more! 80's 90's.....70's or 60's. I LOVE nostalgia

Yes, I would love to see move videos from this era of computer history!

Thank you for your work! Please keep posting these!

These clips are amazing, its like going back in time!

These are so fun to watch!!

Love the video. Brings back a lot of memories for sure.

I received my first communication tool when I was in the first grade. It was a digitally manipulated handheld communication device. It was somehow connected to an organically wireless network. Oh, and it was yellow

That's what I mean with technological wisdom and the people behind the story of the internet community. That is today behind the open source software projects. Big tech companies lost that scientific way of sharing knowledge and leverage innovation. I mean, if you hide your tricks by fear or greedyness against your possible competition, you re losing technological wisdom. Thank you for sharing this series. I want everything about tech comunnity wisdom.

Another great video! This is like a curated look at the past, its great

Love this, please post more!

I found my first PC on the street, I rescued it and it had Windows 3.0 on it, it was 1998 but my school had computer class with old IBM PC's, it played Donkey Kong the arcade game port and Math Blaster, that was 1990 when I first used a PC but I never remembered being taught it, it just felt so natural no matter what incarnation it was, now everyone else around me during that time was completely lost if they weren't a kid, they figured it out eventually but it really took a minute for something we take for granted on how easy it truly is from our point of view

I remember those days viscerally. Lovely film which points out that it is the simplicity design and interface that really matters. Steve Jobs realized this acutely. At the same time, I remember how excited I was in 1995 when at Demo ´95 I won the general magic « wizard » they were raffling. What a moment. Me from an audience of over 1.000? Wow!

I got my first computer and AOL internet in 1994.

Herzfeld probably using "application" for the first time. It's really amazing to see this birth.

They thought of the "cloud" since the 90s... They even called it that. Wow. Also I for sure appreciate these glimpses of the past. The real people and the things they were seeing at the time, I think thats valuable to realign how we certain things.

Thats around the same time we were looking to buy our first computer. I didn't get one till much later.

David Please Post MORE! This is GOLD.

These videos are so good 😍

I love all the weird 90s stuff that really makes you think and remember in hindsight. I mean I was between 2 and 12 during the 90s but I was the computer wiz kid back then till middle school. But yeah the only 90s communicator my family had was a modem, phone, fax and a mobile car phone we had for a few years. My dad got a palm pilot in the 90s and I got a lower class one in early 01. High tech back then, nerdiest person in your class if you had any kind of pda. Now everyone in my former high school gets tablets for school work lol. I wonder if they even use paper anymore

These videos are amazing

I got a pager at work in 1985, the dope dealers already had them...it's really hard for developers to predict human behavior when it comes to technology. I suspect that had something to do with the failure of the "personal communicators". Either that or the name itself!

I pray that in an alternate universe David Hoffman is my father. As a 26 yr old who hasn’t seen his father since 1998 I admire the enthusiasm and innovation of this man

Thanks David. I think a playlist for early computer technology would be helpful.

"'Infobahn'... now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time..."

MORE! 👍

We are Loving These Videos keep posting sir Love from India

I love it mate!

This is so awesome :)

It really wasn't that long ago .i think the world moves too fast .we really need to save the planet before its too late. Thank you david i just love your films you made genus. I think all your subscribes would love to see more thank you 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😊🌳🌿🌲🍀☘🍃🌳🌵🌴🌾🌲🕊🍂🍁🍃🍀🌱

16:10 He said, "This [data] can go into the cloud." The means the concept of cloud computing, and the very phrase "the cloud" is at least as old as 1994. 17:40 A second explicit illustration by a second person, speaking "cloud."

Of course we want your videos. You're the man

I really would love to hear more about why the first personal communicator didn't work

A look into the future. I started home computing on Windows 98 with the ambition of sharing my video archive of acoustic musicians and poets,firstly I managed some short low res videos on my MSM group then when youtube came along in 1996 I managed longer videos,but my dial up Internet connection held me back until I got broadband in the early 2000s. Back in the late 1980s early 1990's I was a BT telephone operator and used green screen computers,but I never imagined in those days I would be doing computing at home like we can do today.in those to my mind computing was for geeks only. This film reminded me of shopping for my first desktop when as a complete novice I was putty in the hands of computer shop salemen ha ha,and my first set up cost me £1800.

I had the Apple //c. Interesting times. 😁

Great video - many good companies like General Magic went bust during dotcom crash hysteria.

I love your content bro

Finally some good amd original youtuber here

I was born in 86 and I have seen the Quick evolution of mobile technology. First cell I saw was a Motorola in 97.

Was this your interview. I saw this before and loved it. I'd say that first salesman was a bug Freddie Mercury fan haha

Very interesting.Greetings from Serbia

Got our first one in 2004. Compaq presario with a dial up connection.

Love this clip. Strange to see people not wearing masks maybe you can document this pandemic too :)

My first cellphone was a Tracfone in the early 2000s when I started going to college. Nothing special. It had Snake on it though!

I'd go to Costco and look at the palm pilots and messengers. Also the email only things. I didn't use email til 2000

11:10 They are discussing the brand-new movie "Stargate."

Considering back in the day of just phones and pay phones. We got by quite well. Even back in the day of no electronics. Things were just fine really. Now with all this connections and mobiles. seem tech is used for devious things. Almost created more problems then solved in my opinion. I think not everyone should have access to a mobile phone. All these young kids are distracted too much to their phones then the real world.

The personal communicators I have fond memories of were phones like the Ericsson T65. I still look back on the days of the pre-iPhone mobile internet which was a very different place not only to today but also to the PC based web back then. Where the internet today (and the PC based web back then) is dominated by Americans, mobile internet - which was called WAP (not that WAP) - had way fewer Americans and far more Brits, Europeans, Australians and Africans, especially South Africans. The South Africans loved their phones! WAP was primitive compared even today's mobile internet, but because it worked well enough over really slow 2G mobile networks, it primitivity allowed to work on old. slow 2G phones that were far cheaper than a PC. I dreamed of having phones like the Nokia 9000 Communicator or the Sony Ericsson P900 when everyone else was lusting over the Motorola RAZR or the tiniest Nokia they could get their hands on. I think my first smartphone - or at least the one that I can remeber was a Nokia N73, though I might have had Virgin Lobster - an oddly shaped Windows Mobile smartphone with a built in DAB radio - before then. While I miss the more diverse audience of WAP, I wouldnt want to go back there, though it is a shame that when Apple ;aunched their iPhone in the UK, it was incompatible with WAP.

I would hate to be a time traveler and going to the past for a x mission like john titor

I picked up on some key words like messenger, good and services, those round things are bots and now we call them emojis My mother was a switch board operator her whole life and my brother and I would go to where she worked that amazed me where they plugged in the cords they had air pagers this wad mostly doctors and business owners that were on call i grew up around radios like cb and ham radio witch my father build nice video I can go on and on

Who did the VO on this? That voice is so familiar. Also I love that the way they sold these things as a way to "save time" when of course we all know now that these things suck time not save time.

18:37 Online shopping. 18:38 Personal GPS.

David, I just sit back as a veteran of foreign wars and learn so much. I’m so great full for you. We need your storytelling to a larger crowd. Look into discord. Platform please? You are damn fine historian and storyteller.

The term "cloud" is attributed to Google CEO Eric Schmidt in 2006, but we hear it used here more than a decade earlier in relation to GM's Telescript.

Oh No….. it’s like digital ASMR from 1995. Hard to believe that was 95 Doesn’t seem that long ago.

more please

Someday...

160 MB Hard Drive and 4 MB of memory. Average cell phone today has between 250 and 500 times that amount of HDD space.

""PersonLink never found the market we hoped for because of the growth of the Internet," AT&T spokesman Kevin Compton said. The service, launched in September 1994, never even attracted 10,000 subscribers. The service was designed to be used by the Sony Magic Link and Motorola Envoy personal communicators. Both used the MagicCap operating system and the Telescript agent technology from General Magic." AT&T shut down Personalink Aug 30th, 1996.

Wow! What tech is this? Ima get one!!