Beltsville, Maryland and StarTAC: Difference between pages

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{{Infobox Mobile |
'''Beltsville''' is a [[census-designated place]] located in [[Prince George's County, Maryland]]. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 15,690.
| name = Motorola StarTAC
| image = MotorolaStarTAC.jpg
| size =
| screen = Digital: [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]]<br>AMPS: Segment [[Light-emitting diode|LED]], Alphanumeric LED
| networks = [[AMPS]], [[CDMA]], [[Time division multiple access|TDMA]], [[Global System for Mobile Communications|GSM]]
| size = 94 mm×55 mm×19 mm (130)
| weight = 94 g }}
 
The '''Motorola StarTAC''' was a [[clamshell]] [[mobile phone]] manufactured by [[Motorola]]. It was released on [[January 3]], [[1996]] and is noted for being the first clamshell mobile phone<ref name="fifty">{{cite news
Miles to [[Washington, DC]] 17.45
| last = Tynan
| first = Dan
| coauthors =
| title = The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years
| work = [[PC World]]
| page = 2
| date = 2005-12-24
| url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,123950-page,2/article.html
| accessdate = 2006-09-10 }}</ref>. The StarTAC is the successor of the [[Motorola MicroTAC|MicroTAC]], a semi-clamshell design that had been launched in 1989<ref>{{cite press release
| title = Motorola introduces ultra lite 5.9 ounce cellular telephone - MicroTac Ultra Lite Telephone
| publisher = Mobile Phone News; PBI Media, LLC; Gale Group
| date = 1992-02-10
| url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3457/is_n18_v10/ai_12627981
| accessdate = 2006-09-10 }}</ref>. Whereas the MicroTAC's shell folded down from below the keypad, the StarTAC folded up from above the [[Light-emitting diode|LED]] / [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] display screen. In 2005, ''[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]]'' put StarTAC at #6 in ''The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years''<ref name="fifty"/>.
 
==GeographyRelease==
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:StarTAC.jpg|frame||left|Analog StarTAC with Alphanumeric display{{rfu-c|[[2006-12-28]]}}{{replacethisimage}}]] -->
[[Image:MDMap-doton-Beltsville.PNG|right|Location of Beltsville, Maryland]]
===North America===
Beltsville is located at 39&deg;2'15" North, 76&deg;55'4" West (39.037509, -76.917847){{GR|1}}.
StarTAC was unveiled in [[North America]] in January 3, 1996 as the "StarTAC Wearable Cellular Telephone."<ref name="release">{{cite news
| title = The smallest cell phone
| work = [[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]
| date = 1996-01-04
| url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_19960104/ai_n10237671
| accessdate = 2006-09-10 }}</ref> Then the smallest cell phone available, this [[AMPS]] phone was an immediate success. Successor [[TDMA]] and [[CDMA]] StarTACs were equally popular. [[GSM]] models were available in North America through Powertel and other early GSM carriers. StarTACs remained popular until the early [[2000]]s, appearing in many Hollywood [[film|movies]] of the period like ''[[8mm (film)|8mm]]'' starring [[Nicolas Cage]].Many MicroTAC owners switched to this particular model due to its compact size and light weight.
 
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Beltsville has a total area of 17.2 [[square kilometre|km²]] (6.6 [[square mile|mi²]]). 17.2 km² (6.6 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
 
==Demographics==
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there were 15,690 people, 5,690 households, and 3,823 families residing in Beltsville. The [[population density]] was 913.7/km² (2,366.9/mi²). There were 5,865 housing units at an average density of 341.6/km² (884.8/mi²). The racial makeup of Beltsville is 48.20% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 31.96% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.26% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 10.75% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.10% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 5.42% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 3.31% from two or more races. 9.84% of the population were [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.
 
===Europe===
There were 5,690 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.27.
The phone was released in [[Europe]] as a single band 900MHz GSM telephone in [[1997]]. Despite the advanced technology, it never became a great success in Europe.{{fact|date=May 2007}} While the StarTAC was not a great success, its direct successors (the early Motorola V series) were very popular in Europe until about 2003.{{fact|date=May 2007}}
 
==Key Features==
In Beltsville the population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 34.5% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
Some key features of the Motorola StarTAC were:
* [[Short message service|SMS]] text messages, although only the later models had the capability to send messages.
* Introduced clamshell design
* 88 grams<ref>{{cite web
| title = Motorola StarTAC Cellular Phone
| publisher = Integrated Electronics Engineering Center
| date = 1996-08
| url = http://www.ieec.binghamton.edu/ieec/teardown/motorola_star_tac_cellular_phone.htm
| accessdate = 2006-09-10 }}</ref> (3.1 ounces<ref name="release"/>)
* It could use an optional [[Li-ion]] battery, at a time when most phones were restricted to short-duration [[NiMH]] batteries
* It had a vibrating ring, "''VibraCall''", the first [[vibration]] feature on a phone. It was then only used by Motorola, as they held the patent<ref name="fifty"/>.
 
==StarTAC 2004==
The median income for a household in Beltsville is $57,722, and the median income for a family was $66,087. Males had a median income of $40,914 versus $35,645 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $24,679. 7.2% of the population and 5.5% of families were below the [[poverty line]]. 5.4% of those under the age of 18 and 7.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
The StarTAC name was revived in 2004 for a new model designed for the [[South Korea]]n market. It had:
*A 128×160 262,000 TFT Color LCD
*64-channel sound
*A [[Mobile Banking]] feature supported by [[SK Telecom]]
*A 2,800-entry contact book
In addition, a version with an 18k gold directional keypad, and brightwork was released as StarTAC 2004 SE.
 
==Clamshell HistoryPhones Today==
Motorola continued to develop clamshell mobile phones. As of 2005 the latest use of the design by Motorola can be seen in the [[Motorola RAZR V3|RAZR]], [[Motorola KRZR K1|KRZR]], and the [[Motorola PEBL|PEBL]].
Beltsville's rich history dates back to 1649, when the land was part of an 80,000 acre land grant given to Richard Snowden I by [[Lord Baltimore]] of [[England]]. Snowden and his family were planters who established large plantations on which they built comfortable manor homes. Soon after, other settlers also moved into the area, but they were farmers who could only afford a few acres of land and whose families lived in small cabins. The principal crop was [[tobacco]], most of which was shipped to England. Because of the fertile soil and desirable growing conditions, the crops prospered.
 
==See Also==
Industry came to Beltsville in the early 1700's when iron ore was discovered in the area. The Muirkirk Iron Furnace on [[U.S. Route 1]] was established by Andrew and Elias Elliott, who learned their iron-making skills in Muirkirk, Scotland. They produced some of the best-quality pig iron in the country and supplied the U.S. Army with cannons, shot, wheels, and other iron products during both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
*[[Motorola DynaTAC]]
*[[Motorola MicroTAC]]
==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
 
{{Motorola phones}}
By 1730, Post Road (now called Route 1) was the main thoroughfare through Beltsville. Though crude, it made [[stagecoach]] travel possible. In 1783, Gabriel Peterson Van Horn established a stage line and built the Van Horn Tavern on Odell Road, where passengers could spend the night as they traveled between Baltimore and Washington. The trip took one and one-half days.
 
[[Category:Motorola mobile phones|StarTAC]]
Beltsville boasts a distinguished [[Revolutionary War]] hero as its native son. General Rezin Beall, who was born on Turkey Flight Plantation on Old Gunpowder Road in 1723, prevented a British invasion at Drum Point on the Chesapeake Bay with only 100 men. He is credited with the fact that there are no Revolutionary War battlefields in Maryland.
[[Category:1996 introductions]]
 
In 1835 one of the first rail lines in the country, the Washington branch of the [[B&O Railroad]], was built through Prince George's County. Coming from Baltimore, the line entered the county at Laurel and ran southwesterly to Bladensburg, then into Washington DC. B&O established a rail stop and freight depot on land purchased from a tobacco farmer named Trueman Belt, and they named the place after him. The new community of Beltsville was doubly blessed, for the Baltimore-Washington Turnpike crossed the rail line there. It soon became a thriving little trading center, eclipsing the older community of Vansville further north on the pike.
 
[[Image:Beltsville_Natl_Agr_Library.gif|frame|The National Agricultural Library in Beltsville]]As the Federal Government grew, in 1910 the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA) began to purchase land in Beltsville for its [[Agricultural Research Service]] (ARS), the main in-house research arm of the United States Department of Agriculture. The land now houses the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). The first parcel acquired was 375 acres of the Walnut Grange Plantation with its historic [http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=7342 "Butterfly House"]. The Center eventually encompassed 14,600 acres and became the largest and most prominent center of agricultural science research in the world.
 
There are a number of historic homes and buildings still standing in Beltsville. The oldest home was built in 1773. One of the largest of the older buildings, built in 1880, was the three-story [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=pphhphoto&action=browse&fileName=md/md1100/md1166/photos/browse.db&recNum=0&itemLink=D?hh:2:./temp/~pp_xxLs::&title2=Ammendale+Normal+Institute,+6101+Ammendale+Road,+Beltsville,+Prince+George's+County,+MD&displayType=1 "Ammendale Normal Institute"] which was destroyed by fire in 1998. Beltsville has grown because of its ___location on the Route 1 corridor and because its residents have always been industrious and progressive. With churches of all denominations, schools, activity centers for both children and adults, and civic organizations, it continues to grow and prosper. Through all its growth, however, Beltsville continues to have a small-town feel.
 
== Schools ==
There are three public schools in Beltsville: Beltsville Elementary School on Wicomico Avenue, Martin Luther King Middle School on Ammendale Road, and High Point High School on Powder Mill Road. They are part of the Prince George's County Public School System.
 
There are also three parochial schools in Beltsville: The Augsburg Academy (Lutheran), St Joseph's School (Roman Catholic), and Beltsville Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA).
 
In the 1970's, there were five public schools in Beltsville: Beltsville Elementary School on Powder Mill Road, Chestnut Hills Elementary School on Sellman Road, Beltsville Junior High School on Wicomico Avenue, Martin Luther King Junior High School on Ammendale Road, and High Point High School on Powder Mill Road.
 
Beltsville Elementary School was located on the corner of Powder Mill Road and Cedar Lane in what is now a commercial building housing TESST College and other businesses. While Powder Mill Road is now used by area motorists as an east-west link between major highways, it was once a safe road for hundreds of school children walking to and from school. School safety patrols were posted along Powder Mill Road from Emack Road to Howard Avenue, and also up Cedar Lane. School crossing guards were posted on Powder Mill Road at Cedar Lane and Ash Road. Students walked from their homes in Beltsville and were bused from Landover. The school mascot was the "Beltsville Bobcat", which was selected after a project led by the school music teacher.
 
Chestnut Hills Elementary School was located on Sellman Road in what is now the site of the Beltsville Library, Prince George's County Police District VI Headquarters, and Ed's Tree Service.
 
Beltsville Junior High School was located on Wicomico Avenue in what is now Beltsville Elementary School. The surrounding residential area was largely the same as it is now, with the exception of the area down the hill on Howard Road and Yates Road. Yates was nothing more than a gravel road, and the area now occupied by large half-million dollar homes was once a large field where horses grazed. Across Yates Road was a wooded area and a creek, which was a safe shortcut for students living up Garrett Avenue and points north. Students walked from their homes in Beltsville (south of Powder Mill Road) and were bused from [[Adelphi, Maryland|Adelphi]], [[College Park, Maryland|College Park]], and [[Landover, Maryland|Landover]]. The school mascot was the panther.
 
Martin Luther King Junior High School, which is now known as Martin Luther King Middle School, was located in its present ___location on Ammendale Road. It was a new school at the time and served students living north of Powder Mill Road in Beltsville.
 
High Point High School is located on the highest point in Prince George's County, up the hill on Powder Mill Road past the Calverton Shopping Center. While a few students walk from their homes in the nearby Powder Mill Village apartments, most are bused from other Calverton neighborhoods, Beltsville, Adelphi, College Park, and Landover. The school mascot is the eagle.
 
In the 1980's and 1990's, changes in Beltsville's population resulted in the closing of Chestnut Hills Elementary School and Beltsville Junior High School.
 
The [[Augsburg]] Academy, a K-6 school that is affiliated with Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 11310 Montgomery Road, opened in 2005. Its curriculum is based on the curriculum of Hillsdale Academy, the K-12 school affiliated with Hillsdale College, Michigan.
 
==External links==
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|39.037509|-76.917847}}
* [http://www.beltsville.com/ Beltsville website] (including links to ''The Beltsville News'')
 
[[Category:Prince George's County, Maryland]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Maryland]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Maryland]]