Ericsson
T65

The headline used by Ericsson when it unveiled the T65 was “a GPRS phone with one-button access to the Mobile Internet.” It was aimed at offering “young people a fast and easy connection with the Mobile Internet” using the rudimentary Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) standard. Ericsson claimed it offered “new and powerful ways to socialise and access information”. The “one-button-access” was a major focus, allowing users to store a preferred WAP page with their favourite content which could be displayed on the T65’s “large six-row display”. The phone was the beginning of a new wave of devices that allowed users to personalize their device with images (a background picture as wallpaper) and sounds (ringtones) as well as accessing basic online information. It also supported a rudimentary richer text messaging standard known as the Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) which made it possible for users to send and receive simple pixel-based picture messages, animations, sound marks, ring tones and formatted text (such as bold type). It was considered revolutionary to be able to add a tune to a birthday greeting, a wink to a text message or exchange the latest in musical ring tones with friends. The phone also supported what Ericsson called a “mobile chat feature” that turned text messaging into “a real one-to-one experience” allowing “point-to-point instant messaging” between two mobile phones that supported mobile chat. A chat-session opened automatically when a text message was is received. As with the Ericsson T68, the T65 could be used with the Ericsson Communicam, allowing the phone to become a digital camera. Users could then take and send photos as an e-mail attachment. The T65 came in three colours: Cosmic blue, Polar blue, Stardust yellow.  The device also has a slide out SIM tray and could be the first mobile phone to use this design, although the Mobile Phone Museum is unable to validate this.