Who created the first smart phone

Show your working out Close but no cigar Defining a smartphone

It’s the IBM Simon. This dates back to 1994, it was an analogue cellular phone but had email, calendar and fax functions. The touch screen user interface even included predictive text.

But as with any good answer we must show our working and look at alternatives. The website The Verge is claiming that the first real smartphone was the Handspring Visor, a mash up of a Palm Pilot and a phone. The Verge has clearly produced a fascinating documentary about the Visor, but secretly knows that it’s not the first smartphone, having introduced the weasel word “real”, claiming the Visor to be the world’s first *real* smartphone.

“But”, argues Ben, “There's also a few other products, like the Motorola MAP phone, the Psion Odin project. And you could argue things like Motorola Marco and Voyager and the Sony Magic Cap devices.”

The Marco can be seen as the grandparent of the iPhone, as it was an Apple Newton OS device with communications, it did not however support voice, as it used the ARDIS protocol and so was more like a two-way pager. Magic Cap was one of a proliferation of mobile operating systems in the mid-1990s. 

Odin, was a joint-venture between Motorola and Psion. While Psion dominated the PDA market it didn’t have the engineering skills for adding radio. Psion saw the partnership as the future of the business, so when Motorola killed the project, it hit Psion very hard. Ben describes Odin as “mythical” having never seen one “I think only five got built”.

One definition of a smartphone might be the ability to run third-party apps.

Ben disagrees: “This was an age-old challenge that we had when I worked at Gartner. We were trying to define a smartphone in the early 2000s in terms of what it was and whether a Blackberry was a smartphone or not, because it had Java apps and was it extensible and all of those sorts of things. But I think it's a very nebulous definition. I think it's more in the eye of the beholder.”

It’s a statement which chimes with that used by the contemporary editor of What Mobile magazine. We all knew what was, and what was not a smartphone, but tightening it down to specifications proved impossible.

In an age when phones were small and elegant, and smartphones big and clunky the editor, who will remain nameless, nailed it with a definition: “If when you walk down the street using it you look like a dick, then it’s a smartphone”. Times have changed and today even walking and talking to a hidden headset is acceptable.

Another candidate might be the Nokia Communicator, Ben says “the Communicator is another very, very good shout because the Communicator was, in March 1996, one of the first smart phones. It was a highly integrated device and it was certainly a device that proved to be an extremely rich seem of intellectual property for Nokia subsequently.” It was a very useable productivity tool, has Ben explains “And for things that would seem completely alien now, but the fact that it could send and receive faxes. To be able to receive a fax digitally on the move was revolutionary. It was a game changer.”

One interesting phone was the Alcatel One Touch Com which Ben unmasks as a rebadged Sharp device, “It was the Sharp MCG-1, which was launched in 1998, but was announced in 1997, one of the most innovative phones on the market. It combined a mobile phone with a personal organiser as well. It was incredible. It was a really, really interesting product. 

Thanks to his inside contacts Ben is an expert on devices which never shipped, this is true of the trailblazing Nortel Orbiter “It was Open Linux and some Java”.

But when push comes to shove it’s the IBM Simon which was the first smartphone, and most definitely not the iPhone.

Technically, you could live a fully connected, informed, and fulfilling life without a smartphone. Let’s be honest, though: no one really wants to do that. Wireless devices have forever changed the means we use to keep in touch, work, and stay entertained. Your favorite Apple, Samsung, or Motorola phone today is the result of many decades of innovation. Keep reading to learn more about the history of smartphones.

The Oxford dictionary defines a smartphone as a “mobile phone that also has some of the functions of a small computer.” That typically means the ability to check your email, browse websites, and use software (like apps for productivity and travel) that require the internet. 

Where cell phones gave us the ability to call and text without a physical phone line, smartphones provide us with full online access and much richer functionality.

When was the first cell phone invented?
The first handheld mobile phone was invented in 1973 by Motorola. The first call was made by Martin Cooper, one of the company’s engineers, on a DynaTAC 8000X.

When did cell phones become popular?
Cell phones became popular in the ‘90s and early 2000s. As wireless networks improved, especially between 3G and 4G/4G LTE, the technology shifted from cell phones to smartphones. Today, 5G offers even more speed and reliability than ever.

Some brands use newer smartphone design to appeal to the nostalgia that many customers have for previously popular cell phones. The Motorola razr, for example, pairs the original foldable form with current day specs.

The first version of what we’d consider a smartphone was invented in 1992 by IBM. Called the Simon Personal Communicator (or just IBM Simon), it was made available for purchase in 1994 and sold by the tens of thousands.

IBM Simon distinguished itself from previous generations of cell phones with features like the ability to send and receive emails, and a touch screen. It also came with built-in programs including:

• Calendar
• Address book
• Appointment scheduler
• Standard and predictive stylus input keyboards
• Electronic note pad
• Handwritten annotations

The design, tools, and performance capabilities of smartphones have evolved massively over the years, however, many of the same features found in the IBM Simon and other early models are now standard in today’s smartphones. 

When did we start calling them smartphones?
The term “smartphone” became commonplace as smartphones themselves became more affordable and accessible throughout the 2000s. Many consider the arrival of the first Apple iPhone in 2007 as the first fully realized smartphone. This iconic device allowed for a full internet experience, similar to a laptop or desktop computer. Now in its 13th generation, the iPhone is still one of the most in-demand devices on the market.

Wireless technology is constantly advancing, which means advancements for a wide range of other industries. 5G has made integrating smartphones, tablets, and other devices into our lifestyles and workspaces much easier. They’re already being used together to improve how you access healthcare and public services, along with work and entertainment. Future devices may feature AR and VR more heavily, creating more immersive online experience that you can share from anywhere in the world.

Currently, 85% of adults say they own a smartphone. While “smartphone” and “cell phone” are completely distinct terms, they’re often used interchangeably now. Cell phones remain an important milestone in the history of smartphones, but their newer, more feature-rich counterparts were made to work with faster, higher capacity networks, like Verizon 5G.

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