Whats happening here?

[speedingsport]

We went from large to small and now they are going from small back to large. Are we going backwards?

[JustDustin]

I remember the days of the largest Motorola's and Nokia's.

[cdat]

No, at least I don't believe so, but then I'm a cynic, I think it's just the mfg's trying to sell something different in order to increase their profits.

[stewart33]

History repeats itself. Just like bell bottoms!

[cdat]

Did striped elephant bell bottoms and velour shirts ever go out of style

[ccjohnson]

I'm waiting for mini skirts & hot pants!!

[GORDON HUMMEL]

Actually, the comparison is more like apples & oranges. When the Brick came out in 1983 it sold for +$3K; and it was only a phone. Thats over $9K in todays dollars.
The size was based on battery and component requirements.
What computer did you have at home in 1983. The PC was just becoming available, but it was the solution with people trying to find the problem!
Components came from 1-2" wafers with yields +/- 50%. Today 12"/300mm is standard with much better yields. I understand 450mm is just around the corner.
Phones got smaller & at the same time became more powerful, mostly because of Moores Law.
Phone power increased, but then so did the device with the addition of the camera in the phone.
As networks increased in speed, it only seemed logical that internet type functions be available on your handheld device.
It got bigger because of the screen size demands by the users.
Tablets are in the middle, between laptops & phones.
I still have my leisure suit in storage!

[1993Newell]

Gordon is right technology is getting better and less expensive. We won't get into fashion

[Randy J]

What about pagers? They were like the beginning of texting.

[GORDON HUMMEL]

5-Inch Hi-Definition Screens

Is it a phone or is it a tablet? Actually, it's a "phablet," and David Garrity at GVA Research told CNBC that 2013 will see the rise of the phablet and expects a plethora of companies to launch products in the sector.

"Consumers, however, will be faced with the challenge of how one actually carries a phablet around as the form factor does not lend itself to fitting a trouser or jacket pocket," he said.

"Expect fashion designers to be thrown into a frenzy of activity managing the intersection of humans and hardware."

[Randy J]

They really are gonna call them phablets?