Motorola also produced the hand-held AM SCR-536 radio during World War II, and it was called the "Handie-Talkie" (HT).[1] The terms are often confused today, but the original walkie-talkie referred to the back mounted model, while the handie-talkie was the device which could be held entirely in the hand (but had vastly reduced performance). Both devices ran on vacuum tubes and used high voltage dry cellbatteries. (Handie-Talkie became a trademark of Motorola, Inc. on May 22, 1951. The application was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the trademark registration number is 71560123.) Radio engineer and developer of the Joan-Eleanor system Alfred J. Gross also worked on the early technology behind the walkie-talkie between 1934 and 1941, and is sometimes credited with inventing it. Noemfoor, Dutch New Guinea, July 1944. A US soldier (foreground) uses a walkie-talkie during the Battle of Noemfoor. (Photographer: Allan F. Anderson.)
Also credited with the invention of the walkie-talkie is Canadian inventor Donald Hingswho created a portable radio signaling system for his employer CM&S in 1937