Say what you will about the RAZR and KRZR's sometimes unresponsive keypads, but the company behind those phones, Motorola, has been an innovator in handset design ever since it launched the StarTAC back in 1996. It seems like the flip-open clamshell design—of which the StarTAC was the first example—has been around forever, but it's actually only been a decade (which in tech terms is several lifetimes).

Now, despite the plus-ça-change-plus-c'est-la-même-chose nature of Web 2.0 and all that, a decade is a little soon for a late-90's retro revival, but it looks like Motorola has released an updated version of the iconic mobile phone in Korea called the MS900. As Engadget points out, the phone doesn't have some basic "aughts"-worthy features like a camera phone and an external LCD, but it does have a bleeding-edge electronic dictionary, built-in GPS, and e-book capability (whatever that means).

To be honest, the design doesn't look that different from any other clamshell phone (it should be wider, at least, to have real StarTAC design echoes). But I like that Motorola is taking a page from the auto industry book: The iconic Mustang comes and goes with all kinds of new designs, for example. (Some Mustangs have been great, others true duds, design-wise). Which I guess means we'll be seeing new takes on the RAZR, Q, StarTAC, and other iconic phones for years to come.

How about you? What classic phones would you like to see brought back, all souped-up and revamped for 2007?

Related links:

Hands-on Review: Crazy Good MOTOKRZR