Cellphone inventor Marty Cooper uses a Droid.... and a Jitterbug
By Donald Melanson 
posted Mar 11th 2010 4:04PM
posted Mar 11th 2010 4:04PM
Sure, you read reviews and take recommendations from friends before you buy a new cellphone, but have you ever stopped to consider what the inventor of the cellphone uses on a daily basis? C-SPAN has, and recently took the opportunity to ask the man himself, Marty Cooper, that very question during a wide-ranging interview. While Cooper said that he has used an iPhone previously, he recently passed it on to his grandson in favor of a Motorola Droid, which he says he chose because he wanted to get more experience with Android. But that's not all, Cooper also revealed that he carries a Jitterbug as well for when he just wants to make phone calls. Surprising for a pioneer of mobile technology? Not exactly, as Cooper actually co-founded Jitterbug with his wife, who he credits with inventing the phone. Head on past the break to watch the complete interview. 
I Wish the droid came to Europe
@MoonWalkerCTE Errr the Droid is the Milestone in Europe...
@MoonWalkerCTE Milestone.
@MoonWalkerCTE
I wish you would google before you post.
@MoonWalkerCTE Terrible troll is terrible.
@Michael OKeefe
I Wish the terrible troll came to Engadget...
(looks at first post)
OWAIT, they is here!
@MoonWalkerCTE
Should we consider the possibility that MoonWalkerCTE genuinely didn't know that Droid was available in Europe under a different name?
Nah . . . lets just all call him a troll. It's a lot more fun anyway.
@MoonWalkerCTE i live in spain and there aint no driod here i can guarantee that. I still dobt see why im being called a troll i asked a normal question
Colonel Sanders says.. DROOIIIIID
@blueskyv201 Whats it called in europe?
@MoonWalkerCTE 30 minute mark he talks about DROID.
Nuff Respect
Proving he is still a very smart man by using a DROID :D
@treats
android is always the right choice for any geek. unfortunately the iphone will still prevail for the layman; people want something that "just works". people like us want something that can do everything except make toast
@joshky
O'rly?
http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/03/10/comscore-android-gains-on-the-iphone/
@treats Yup great day for you Droid owners :) I'm an iPhone owner but can't we all just be happy for progress and news for all smartphone platforms? It's awesome and I smiled when I read this.
@ChazClout
Looks like Android phones are eating into Microsoft's and Palm's numbers. Not surprising at all, considering how many Android phones have been released, especially on non-AT&T networks where customers have been wanting and waiting for an iPhone-caliber experience.
I wonder what those numbers would look like if the iPhone wasn't available only on AT&T. Eventually, the sales have to slow down as it reaches saturation among AT&T customers.
@joshky
"people want something that "just works""
..That's what the JitterBug is for! :D
@joshky
That's exactly why I switched from iPhone3GS to Android on N1, (and to an HD2 for business): I noticed that those other system could do a lot more than any iPhone and do faster and better the few things the iPhone could manage.
On my new phones I can share my unlimited data plan with as many as 5 other laptops Wirelessly(teathering without teather), hear music while browsing the web, watching flash vids from veoh, google vids or wherever else I please, take great pics and decent vids and... please, don't even get me started.
@ebgolfin Don't worry, they'll release a minor update and everyone will replace theirs.. again.
@treats is a complete break down of logic to assume that a man who did something 20+ years ago is an expert today - especially when compared to those who are working in the field today.
The article reads "he wanted to get more experience with Android" demonstrating that he doesn't know much about Android...
Plus, he uses a SECOND device calls!? How smart is that? Two hardware costs, two service charges? Frankly, he just sounds old at this stage.
@MrGlitch
Heh, and I might be among them. I'm not an Apple person but I love the iPhone. It's not even so much the iPhone, it's just that I love how fast the keyboard is, the presentation of SMS/MMS, the software support (apps I like that you can't get anywhere else), the media player, and the general smoothness of the web experience.
I like Android too, but if we're going to talk "minor" updates - what do you call animated wallpapers? :P
@RecycledBottle
I got the impression that he is using a Droid just so that he can keep up with Android, probably much like he used the iPhone. Both phones are likely just curiosities. f you're just making calls, I can see the convenience (for someone of his age) of a simple phone with big clear buttons. Lets face it, when we're his age we're not going to want to mess with buttons the size of the Droid's either. I give him credit for trying to stay current with the top phone OS's though, that's pretty cool.
@Plexus I have a 3Gs now but I have really been considering the N1. Only problem I have ATT. What are your suggestions. Should I sell my 3Gs and go for the N1 or keep the 3Gs and try out the n1? Thanks for answeing (if you do)
@angermeans I've had a N1 for a little over a week and it's amazing. I'm coming from using a G1 and a 1st gen iPod Touch. The browser smokes everything on the market. The screen keyboard is damned good, easily rivals iPhones. The apps are coming fast and furious now. The phone is dead sexy, even my die hard iPhone fan friends say so. The screen totally blows our anything out there, with the possible exception of the Droid.
@McPOW Forgot to mention the CPU, this thing is fast as hell. Pounds on the apps like a middle school bully. No lag at all when switching between apps, even when multitasking.
@angermeans
For us on this decrepit european continent all carriers are very much the same: they may differ on some services or prices or subsidized cell phones or netbook models, but we can freely swich from any carrier to any other we may fancy unless the phone is subsidized, but even in this case the telcos are allowed to tie our phones to their networks for a maximum of six months.
This american thing about the obstacles faced by americans in switching from an operator to another one, from here is quite hard to grab, so I don't want to talk (or worse to give suggestions) about a situation I know practically nothing about.
What I know is that if you're used to an iPhone 3GS on a 3G GSM (HSPA) network and you will switch to a N1 on the same frequencies you are not going to regret it. I did'nt; and I never met anyone who did.
Strictly for the hardware I still prefer the HTC HD2 I use for business specially coz of the amazing screen and media capabilities (and because thanks to Sense UI you don't have to deal with Win mob 6.5 shortcomings and peculiarities), but the Android OS with its speed, choice of browsers quantity of great quality FREE apps, integration with Gmail, gDocs, picasa, Gmaps, Google Earth etc, etc. undobtly make the N1 the best all round choice.
I hope this can help you to make up your mind.
@treats
"I wanted to get some experience with the Android operating system..." - Martin Cooper, on C-SPAN.
"...he says he chose because he wanted to get more experience with Android. " - Donald Melanson wrote in the article.
Thank you very much for reading both the article and watching the video. I agree that he is a very smart man. The interview was highly educational, and provided important insights on technology and industry.
I wish The Driod came to Europe
@MoonWalkerCTE Endgaget comment system wtf!
@MoonWalkerCTE he means he wishes it come to his part of Europe Spain.............
No and I don't care what web browser the inventors of the internet uses, or what text editor the inventors of Unix uses. In my experience digging up dinosaurs to prove some quaint little point about what the "True Way" is often done but rarely useful.
@bleep
You cared enough to post in these comments. Do you care enough to respond to me? :P
I find it ironic that you care so little, yet you take the time and effort to type such a pointless comment.
@ChazClout
no
@Professor Hubert J Farnsworth
I don't care if he uses a Droid. I found his other comments interesting enough to watch the whole thing through. He uses a Jitterbug.. and is researching the Android OS would be a much more accurate title for this article.
Hopefully he's not using the Samsung recalled Jitterbug...Must suck to be stranded and not be able to call 911 :D
Only true automaton's of society use Android.... jk i
@hdawggy
Only idiots make use of the apostrophe like you do.
@PercyPricksworth
Well at least i dont have a user name that only fat British kids have... so yeah + the last bit of the comment didn't get posted...
@hdawggy i'm sorry but that made me laugh for like 5 minutes
Respect.
Is "inventing the cell phone" like "inventing the internets"?
" I had an iphone... which I gave to my grandson. "
lol I love this guy! I hope to be this cool when I am 80.
@New Reformation
He sounds like he hates his grandson.
@New Reformation He's a pretty young guy at 80 seeing as how he plans to keep expanding the bandwidth of the spectrum for the next "50-60 years" before the next generation takes over!
Droid does (get used by the father of the cellphone)
@ChazClout
Too long, fail!
Droid Does Old Farts!
@ChazClout
Droid does phone calls worse than a Jitterbug!
I could be mistaken, but didn't he work for Motorola for years anyway (including with the first cell phone)?
I wouldn't be surprised if he gets free Motorola stuff for life at this point. ;)