How did the TurtleCom predate cell phones?

[CyberCubed]

In the 1987 series, the Turtles and April all use the Turtle com to keep in contact with each other, similar to a modern day cell phone.

But this was 1987. Excuse my ignorance, but did any sort of mobile phone exist back then?

[Candy Kappa]

mobile phones have existed since early 1900's

[gobo]

How did the TurtleCom predate cell phones?
Same way Donatello invented the universe: mutagen. :D
Excuse my ignorance, but did any sort of mobile phone exist back then?
The first commercially automated cellular network (the 1G generation) was launched in Japan by NTT in 1979, initially in the metropolitan area of Tokyo. Within five years, the NTT network had been expanded to cover the whole population of Japan and became the first nation-wide 1G network. In 1981, this was followed by the simultaneous launch of the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.[8]. NMT was the first mobile phone network featuring international roaming. The first 1G network launched in the USA was Chicago based Ameritech in 1983 using the Motorola DynaTAC mobile phone. Several countries then followed in the early 1980s including the UK, Mexico and Canada
[Source: Wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_phone)]

[Andrew NDB]

But this was 1987. Excuse my ignorance, but did any sort of mobile phone exist back then?

Yeah, even years before that. Satellite Phones, or SatPhones.

[ooglafina]

When I was a kid, I remember thinking that they must be magical or something. Which now makes me wonder what was wrong with me because I apparently had never heard of a walkie-talkie.

[ToTheNines]

Wow dude, worst thread ever. Even when I was a kid I just figured they were glorified walky-talkys.

[ooglafina]

I should keep my childhood "fails" to myself. :P

[Raph's Girl]

As have been said cell phones have basically always been around in one form or another. In the 80's they were like these huge bulky things....and car phones have been around since the 70's (first appeared in Finland in 1971).

[Samhain]

Man, turtle fans are boooooooooored....

[BoggleKng]

Man, turtle fans are boooooooooored....

lol, you can say that again :lol:

[CyberCubed]

Man, turtle fans are boooooooooored....

I blame the lack of any news on any new Turtle stuff to blame for threads like these.

We really have nothing to talk about till 2012. How else are we supposed to pass the time?

[Ninjinister]

Same way Donatello invented the universe: mutagen. :D


That reminds me of a quote of Shredder's in Mutant Melee when he loses to Don:

"I suppose you "invented" victory, Donatello?"

[Master Splinter]

I just thought they were futuristic iPhone 4s... 8)

-ms

[Venom]

My mom had me say "Turtle Call" because "comm" sounded susupiciously like "cum" when spoken from my young mouth. :P

[Cure]

http://danaswanson.expertsandinsiders.com/files/2010/03/zack-morris-phone.jpg

[Luzmagica]

Hey! This thread is not so bad...!!! I like it!!! :D :tgrin:
Dont you remember how Michael Knight called for KITT???...:D:lol::lol::lol:
It was en 80´s ...and was fiction: (not for me...I always want one of that! I was sure someday it will be real ...:lol: LOL)...
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6764/95671093.jpg (http://img138.imageshack.us/i/95671093.jpg/)

Now the real one...
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/7566/lggd91001.jpg (http://img293.imageshack.us/i/lggd91001.jpg/)

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

In the 1987 series, the Turtles and April all use the Turtle com to keep in contact with each other, similar to a modern day cell phone.

But this was 1987. Excuse my ignorance, but did any sort of mobile phone exist back then?

They have existed for years, they were just not used by everyday people back then. It's the same with the Internet, which has existed within the US military forces since 1969, but it would last until circa 1995 before it became a part of everyday life (the same with computers). What exists today only in business or military, but will be used in everyday life some years later?

[Toon]

Chester Gould introduced Dick Tracy's (now iconic) 2-Way Wrist Radio in the 1940's.

[Coola Yagami]

So true, TurtleComs= Walkie Talkies.
Shell Cell= Cel phones
2012 TMNT thing= whatever we have by then

[ooglafina]

2012 TMNT thing= whatever we have by then

They'll probably be whatever brand the movie sponsor is trying to hock at that moment.

[gobo]

2012 TMNT thing= whatever we have by then
TMNTwitter?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

But hat I've heard the Spider-Man comics didn't just pre-date the the electronic tagging, but also inspired to its creation.

[Coola Yagami]

Hey, the Shell-Cells work like regular cellphones? I mean, did they let you see who you were talking to in a miniature tv screen like the Turtle Com did?

[sagelwwa]

Actually, the Turtle Com was pretty unique compared to other mobile devices in real life and fiction because it was a FLIP PHONE 8) At least until the downgraded to the bi-directional slider com, blagghh... lol

I just had an awesome idea though thanks to this thread. Take one of our old GSM phones that is lying around and retrofit the internals and components into my toy Turtle Com! Boo Ya! Maybe I'll try that some day when I am even more bored than this lol

[Powder]

I just had an awesome idea though thanks to this thread. Take one of our old GSM phones that is lying around and retrofit the internals and components into my toy Turtle Com! Boo Ya! Maybe I'll try that some day when I am even more bored than this lol

That is an awsome idea. I was just messin' around with my flip turtle com earlier this evening. I'd rather get another one before I cracked that one open though.

[sagelwwa]

That is an awsome idea. I was just messin' around with my flip turtle com earlier this evening. I'd rather get another one before I cracked that one open though.

lol, same here. I would need a second one before I could convince myself to cut and glue and modify mine lol.

[Loco]

create a real working turtlecomm with an old cell phone ? Lol That's sick idea dude I wish I had at least one but this is unfindable in here...:tgrumble:

[jmfoxfire]

So true, TurtleComs= Walkie Talkies.
Shell Cell= Cel phones
2012 TMNT thing= whatever we have by then

2012 TMNT t-phone= iphones

[pannoni1]

2012 TMNT t-phone= iphones

Or if it was 1912, t-phone= telephone

That said, the Turtlecom still predated mobile phones with video capability which didn't become commercially available until the mid-2000s when video calling services such as Skype were introduced along with improved memory that allowed live video. Only April's Turtlecom was a flip phone, the Turtles' were sliding phones. I do find it odd that the Turtles' had antennas while April's didn't.

[Guitar_Raph]

Or if it was 1912, t-phone= telephone

If it was 1812, s-signals = smoke signals.

[oldmanwinters]

Dick Tracy has been rockin' his 2-Way Wrist Radio since 1946!
AL-EBWbZU8s

And apparently, he upgraded it to a 2-Way Wrist TV in 1964, according to what I read on Wikipedia.

EDIT:
Dang, you beat me to it... by years!
Chester Gould introduced Dick Tracy's (now iconic) 2-Way Wrist Radio in the 1940's.

[D-Nizzy]

The cast of Star Trek has been flipping open communicators since 1964:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communicator_(Star_Trek)

[snake]

This thread was brought back from the dead....NECROPOSTERS!!!!

[oldmanwinters]

This thread was brought back from the dead....NECROPOSTERS!!!!

I didn't even notice the original posting date. Oops!

Although...
Actually, the Turtle Com was pretty unique compared to other mobile devices in real life and fiction because it was a FLIP PHONE 8) At least until the downgraded to the bi-directional slider com, blagghh... lol

I just had an awesome idea though thanks to this thread. Take one of our old GSM phones that is lying around and retrofit the internals and components into my toy Turtle Com! Boo Ya! Maybe I'll try that some day when I am even more bored than this lol

I really would be curious to knwo if sagelwwa ever made any progress on this idea!

[snake]

^ yup! 2 years ago:)

[Longview01]

Hey! This thread is not so bad...!!! I like it!!! :D :tgrin:
Dont you remember how Michael Knight called for KITT???...:D:lol::lol::lol:
It was en 80´s ...and was fiction: (not for me...I always want one of that! I was sure someday it will be real ...:lol: LOL)...
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6764/95671093.jpg (http://img138.imageshack.us/i/95671093.jpg/)

Now the real one...


How would of thought Kitt would become what he did...

http://0.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com/50/67/45d916dcbd63fc2274eea82ab28b5f13.jpg
http://1.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com/87/40/23b0678e1e14964f3fd56c935cefaffd.jpg

[LeoNerdo]

^LOL.

I think it's sort of interesting that April could call the turtle's TurtleCom with just a regular land line phone like in The Case of the Killer Pizzas. They must've been on some kind of network.

[ryukenden]

One thing about the Turtle Coms is that you can visually see the person or Turtle you are talking to. Which we use today as Skype. Most of the tech used was really ahead of its time. Don must have set up some kind of isolatated network that is untraceable to the Technodrome and the Government. Don doesn't seem to have too much trouble replacing Turtle Coms that get lost or destroyed. I believe April had the biggest track record.

One thing that is noticeable is that Zack was able to intercept a communication between Don and April and was able to respond. Then that one time when April was trying to call Leo but Don responded. Later on, there was the Pizza by the Shred episode when she was able to call only Mikey. Perhaps April was still learning to use it before learning how to call only a particular user as the Turtle Comm seemed to use wide transmission.