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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Simon: The First Smartphone

A look in Time Magazine at the first phone that could be called 'Smart':  Simon, offered in 1994, at about $900.   Link includes usage videos.  Only about 50K units were sold.  With a lot less capabilities than we have today.  Had a touch pad, an Address Book, Calendar, Fax, Filer, Mail, Note Pad, Sketch Pad, Time, To Do list.

We had tested large bulky hand held, non-smart cell phones in the mid 1980s.  Devices like the Simon were called PDAs at the time, but this one had a phone too.  We tested this unsuccessfully,  and did not see another smart phone until executive tests of the Blackberry in about 2000.  Mainly used for mobile email coverage. More technical details in the WP.  And in a MS Research site.

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