14 DAY TRIAL // We all own smartphones and tablets these days, but a few years back these devices weren't so widespread and only a select few owed something of the sort.
Some people might hold on to the idea that smartphones haven’t been around for so long, but that’s not exactly accurate.
IBM Simon paved the way for today's iPhones and Galaxy models
Actually, the first smartphone ever went on sale more than 20 years ago. It was called the IBM Simon and made its way on the market in August 1994.
Why are we crediting it as the first intelligent handset? Well, the device came equipped with a touchscreen, allowed access to email and other nifty feats which we are going to talk about in a few.
But first, for a little bit of history. Simon was code-named “Angler” and was unveiled during autumn 1992 at the COMDEX convention in Las Vegas. However, mass availability will arrive a few years later.
By today’s standards, the phone was uber chunky and extremely over-priced. That’s why not many could have aspired to having the gizmo in their life. The Simon was sold for $1,100 / €949 – a price tag that would keep most smartphone enthusiasts at bay today.
The device was 8 inches long, 2.5 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick, so as you can see, it was pretty big. But since the '90s was the era of loose jeans, pocket space shouldn't have been a problem.
Anyhow, what made the Simon truly special were its functionalities. The smartphone did not have a browser (in 1994 not even computers had one), but the fact that it allowed email access was a major selling point.
For emailing purposes, the smartphone relied on a “PredictaKey” keyboard which apparently was able to show the six most-likely letters that you need, depending on the characters you’ve just typed.
Users could have navigated through Simon’s interface with a stylus or the finger, although the latter scenario was a little bit cumbersome.
The phone didn't have an app store, but it came equipped with several pre-installed applications including Address Book, Calculator, Calendar, Fax, Filer, Mail, Note Pad, Sketch Pad, Time and To Do.
Simon did not live long
Simon was marketed as a phone for business users, but the reality is that the handset didn’t prove to be very successful. In the end, Simon lasted only six months on the market and sold in about 50,000 units, which is quite negligible.
One of the major things the IBM phone got criticized for was the skimpy battery life, which lasted for up to 1 hour or so. It took several years before devices that could sustain a fluid workflow made it out into the sunshine.
