Portable cellular phones first appeared in the late 1970s. The early model was called "the brick." It weighed 2 pounds (907 grams), offered just a half hour of talk time for every recharging, and sold for $3,995. Even though it was clumsy and expensive, consumers lined up by the hundreds to buy the first cellular phones as soon as they hit the market. Since then, phones have gotten smaller and much lighter, and they have become a necessary part of everyday life.