When do you first remember using a mobile phone or computer?

[Narj]

First computer was an Amstrad CPC 6128k in 1986

First phone was a Nokia 5190 in 1997

First computer I actually owned was a CPC464 with 64k RAM pack, OCP art studio and genius mouse. While I was extremely grateful, I couldn't help feeling jealous of mates with the 6128 and their faster loading times. Also the extra memory didn't necessarily unlock extra features in some games that the 6128 had.

At least I had a colour screen.

 

[the-evaluator]

The first time I used a computer was in 1984 when my Dad brought home a BBC Model B. I loved that machine!

As for mobile phone, Dad had a Rabbit phone in 1992 which wasn't a true mobile phone but at the time it was OK. I think it was 1996 when I got my first mobile phone.

 

[pastymuncher]

First time I used a computer was the early 80's when I used to go around my mates and we used to play The Hobbit on his ZX81. Mobile phone I suppose was the late 90's when my ex-wife (wife at the time) made me get one for when I went fishing. I think it was either a Sagem or Nokia of some sort.

 

[Shocky-FM]

Amiga 1200 in 1992, might have used something in school before this but I don't remember.

Nokia 3210 in 1999

EDIT: Forgot about the The SAM Coupé from 1989 and ZX Spectrum, however I can't remember when I first used it, my memory just isn't that good.

 

[MookJong]

First computer I actually owned was a CPC464 with 64k RAM pack, OCP art studio and genius mouse. While I was extremely grateful, I couldn't help feeling jealous of mates with the 6128 and their faster loading times. Also the extra memory didn't necessarily unlock extra features in some games that the 6128 had.

At least I had a colour screen.

Yeah I had a colour screen. To my eyes the Amstrad had the best colour pallet compared to the awful Spectrum and the washed out pastel shades of the C64.

Look at a game like Barbarian and you will see what I mean.

 

[Rifte]

Showing my age here, but my first computer was a SHARP MZ700.

I must have been around 5 to 6 years old and my father had purchased a number of games for it. My game of choice being 'Land Escape'

I didn't join the Spectrum master race until around 1986 I believe with a 48k+.

I trashed a huge amount of Kempston joysticks with my speccy.

 

[DrToffnar]

Obviously a fair bit younger then some of the folks on here at the old age of 26...

I can't remember what our first home computer was, but I remember my dad giving me a colour printed picture of a cheetah and being SUPER excited by it. Must have been about 5-6 at the time.

First mobile experience was seeing my cousins 3310. Never have I wanted anything more either before or since that moment.

 

[glenimp617]

1986 ish using primary schools BBC Micro. I knew then what I wanted to do after I left school.

Can't remember my first mobile phone.....think it was on the one2one network (maybe orange?).....would have been a nokia...that was back in the days before anyone even had mobile phones expect yuppies.....it was the year the cool kids all got pagers.

 

[Narj]

Yeah I had a colour screen. To my eyes the Amstrad had the best colour pallet compared to the awful Spectrum and the washed out pastel shades of the C64.

Look at a game like Barbarian and you will see what I mean.

Definitely agree. Mode 0 might have been quite blocky but Barbarian, Cybernoid 2, Mr. Heli, Gryzor and many others showed what could be done.

 

[Burnsy2023]

Mobile: probably around 2002
Computer: probably around 1995-96, maybe earlier.

 

[UTmaniac]

Would have been a ZX81 with 16KB expansion back around 1983.
Then a Tatung Einstein and (cannot remember the exact brand) MSX from 1985 at home, BBC Micro at school.
Amiga A500 from 1990.
Access to Windows PCs at uni from 1992.
My first Windows PC at home was 2001.

My first mobile was a Nokia in 2000, I think.

 

[Scort]

Hmmmm, first computer - some Acorn (possibly Electron) around '87 or '88. I remember tying to play Pole Position on it, and having some sort of plastic looking glass thing to decipher the copy protection code in the manual... I could never get it to work First mobile, the Nokia 5110 on pay as you go - seemed to burn through £10 top up cards like no ones business!

 

[FishLicker]

Computer - first one I remember was a 48K Spectrum, so I would take a guess at somewhere around 1983-84. First one used at school was a BBC Micro, circa 1986 - the thing was on a trolley.

First mobile - Some Alcatel thing with an aerial and was the size of a brick - I'm guessing late 90s.

 

[ubersonic]

1980's

 

[kaiowas]

First computer I used would probably have been either an early speccy or BBC at Primary school sometime in the 80s although we got a ZX Spectrum+ (Still got it in a box under the bed) around the same sort of time and I don't really remember which would have been first. High school was all either Amstrad word processors, BBCs or Archimedes computers. Didn't encounter an IBM compatible PC until 6th form in about 1993, most of the college used Mac Classics for word processing but there was a PC there as well, think it only ran DOS and I only knew one person who had any idea what to do with it, I'm not sure I ever saw it being used.

Actually used a PC (and the internet) for the first time when I went to uni in 1995, mostly 486s and early Pentiums running either Windows 3.1 or 95

Bought my own PC when I started work in late 98/early 99. Was a Pentium 2/400. My first mobile would have been at a similar time. I was way ahead of the curve, I had a Samsung SGH-600 (way before having a Samsung was cool) which did voice dialling (badly) and came with a hands free kit when all the Nokia fanboys had to buy one seperately.

 

[ianh]

Computers - My dad has always been into computers so my first computer would have been a ZX81 which my dad transferred to a commodore64 style case, rather than the small rubber keyed original in about '84-ish. Then it was BBC Model B's and Spectrum 128+2 and +3 up to the mid 90's. I then missed the AtariST/Amiga phase due to cost and owning a megadrive and rejoined with my first PC which I bought in '97.

Mobiles - Hate them, one of the worst things humans have invented but they've become an absolute necessity in life now so there's no way to get rid of them! I had a "voice call" only Motorola in '97 as my first phone so I could chat to my GF, who was at University, in privacy for "those" calls rather than using a communal phone. It had no text facility or big display just a single line to display the phone number you typed in.

I've only bought 4 phones in the past 20 years and only when the older one has physically stopped working and if they disappeared I'd not miss them, but then I am an extremely grumpy old man.

 

[BigT]

So many memories in this thread. Most of what I started out with has been mentioned from Motorola brick phones to Spectrums and BBC computers at school in the 80s.

The one thing that sticks in my mind though was my second or third mobile phone back in the analogue days of the early 90s when Nokia and Ericsson ruled the roost I was a bit different and had a Sony CM-R111 which was tiny for the time

 

[Squid Vicious]

Spectrum 48K - so around 82/83.
First mobile for me was probably a Motorola C520

 

[ddoubleep]

BBC Micro - Late 80s
Acorn Archimedes - 80/90s
Packard Bell PBPPLT650 Pentium 166MHz PC - Home '97
Motorola CD930 Mobile - '98