First Touchscreen Smartphone in The World[Phones History]
IBM Simon Personal Communicator(SPC) (or just Simon) was the first phone that had features that we attribute to smartphones.
In 1992, IBM quietly unveiled the first smartphone during COMDEX computer industry trade show.
They showcased a prototyped they had named Angler which garnered some attention.
In 1994, they released the final version of the smartphone for sale to consumers. They called it Simon Personal Communicator(SPC).
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First Smartphone Stats
- Product Owner: IBM
- Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Electric
- Marketing & Sales: BellSouth Cellular
- Prototype Release: 1992 as Angler
- Production release: 1994 as Simon Personal Communicator(SPC)
- Number of Units Sold: 50,000
- Price per Unit: US$599 to US$1099
- Sale Period: August 1994 to February 1995
- Main Features:
- touch screen
- send and receive faxes and emails
- apps: address book, calendar, appointment scheduler, calculator, world time clock, notepad, maps, stock reports, news
First Smartphone Features
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Simon was feature packed for the first smartphone. Some of its outstanding features were:
- RAM: 1MB
- Internal storage: 1MB
- Operating system: Zaurus OS
- Processor type: 16-bit Vadem processor
- Processor speed: 16MHz
- Weight: 510 grams(20 Ounces)
- Size/ Dimensions: 200 mm height by 64 mm width by 38 mm thickness(8 in by 2.5 in by 1.5 in)
- Battery Type: nickel-cadmium battery
- Battery capacity:
- Battery operation time: 1 hour
- Screen type: liquid-crystal display (LCD)
- Screen size: 4.5-inch×1.4-inch (114mm×36mm)
- Screen color: Black and white
- custom-fit, protective, leather cover
- shipped with a charging base station
- User interface software: Navigator
Compared to the current smartphones, Simon was underpowered. But there was no alternatives then so these were the best features they could add to the first smarthone.
First Smartphone Apps
Simon had a lot of the apps that are common in all Smartphones. Some of the apps present on the first smartphone were:
- calling app
- address book
- calendar
- appointment scheduler
- calculator
- world time clock
- electronic notepad
- handwritten annotations
- standard and predictive stylus input screen keyboards
How to Operate The First Smartphone
You could interact with Simon using the touch screen
Sale of the First Smartphone
50,000 units of Simon were sold during its 6 months sale.
BellSouth Cellular sold Simon for US$899 with a two-year service contract or US$1099 without a contract. They later slashed the price to US$599 with a two-year contract.
Limitations
- Bulky weighing at 510 grams(20 Ounces)
- Limited battery life of 1 hour
What Came Before the First Smartphone
Before the first smartphone, everyone was using phones and Personal Digital Assistants(PDAs) seperately. Phones were for calling. PDAs were personal information managers.
PDAs typically had: appointment calendar, a to-do list, an address book for contacts, a calculator, and some sort of memo (or “note”) program.
Simon combined both into one device.