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History of Smartphones Timeline
(1994 - Present)The history of smartphones traces the evolution of mobile phones from simple communication devices into powerful pocket computers. Beginning with early PDAs and the first touchscreen phone, IBM's Simon Personal Communicator in 1994, the industry was transformed by BlackBerry's email-focused devices, Apple's revolutionary iPhone in 2007, and Google's Android platform. Over the decades, smartphones have integrated cameras, app ecosystems, high-speed internet, and artificial intelligence, reshaping how people communicate, work, and live worldwide. More Less
Precursors and Early Concepts
IBM Simon, the first smartphone, is unveiled
Nov 23, 1992
The IBM Simon Personal Communicator was unveiled at the COMDEX trade show in 1992 as a concept device and released to consumers in 1994. Combining a mobile phone with a touchscreen capable of email, fax, a calendar, and apps like an address book and sketch pad, it is widely regarded as the world's first smartphone, predating the term itself.
Image source: IBM Simon
Palm Pilot popularizes handheld computing
Jan 1, 1996
The Palm Pilot 1000 launched in 1996 and became the first widely successful personal digital assistant. Its intuitive stylus-based interface, Graffiti handwriting recognition, and desktop synchronization established design conventions and user expectations that would later shape touchscreen smartphones.
Image source: PalmPilot
Nokia 9000 Communicator debuts
Jan 1, 1996
The Nokia 9000 Communicator, announced at CeBIT in 1996, was a clamshell device that opened to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and wide screen. It offered email, fax, web browsing, and office applications, establishing Nokia as an early leader in converged phone-computer devices.
Image source: Nokia 9000 Communicator
Ericsson GS 88 introduces the term 'smartphone'
Jan 1, 1997
Ericsson's concept device, the GS 88 'Penelope', was presented in 1997 and is credited with coining the word 'smartphone' to describe a phone with advanced computing capabilities. Although never commercially released, it marked the birth of the terminology that would define an entire industry.
Image source: Smartphone
BlackBerry 850 pager launches RIM's wireless email era
Jan 19, 1999
Research In Motion released the BlackBerry 850 two-way pager in January 1999, bringing push email to mobile devices. The BlackBerry line evolved into full smartphones beloved by business users, whose secure messaging and physical keyboards defined mobile productivity until the iPhone era.
Image source: BlackBerry
BlackBerry 5810 brings voice calling to BlackBerry
Mar 1, 2002
Released in March 2002, the BlackBerry 5810 was RIM's first device to integrate voice calling with its famous email capabilities, though it required a headset for calls. It marked BlackBerry's transformation from a pager maker into a full-fledged smartphone manufacturer.
Palm Treo 600 unifies phone and PDA seamlessly
Oct 1, 2003
The Palm Treo 600, launched in October 2003, integrated a phone, camera, keyboard, and Palm OS organizer into one compact candybar design. Widely praised for finally making the smartphone feel like a cohesive product rather than a mashup, it became a bestseller among professionals.
Image source: Treo 600
Operating Systems and Platforms
Symbian OS is formed from Psion's EPOC
Jun 1, 1998
In June 1998, Psion, Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola jointly founded Symbian Ltd., building the Symbian OS on Psion's EPOC platform. Symbian would go on to power hundreds of millions of phones and dominate the smartphone market for over a decade before its decline after 2010.
Image source: Symbian
Ericsson R380 ships as first Symbian smartphone
Jan 1, 2000
The Ericsson R380, released in 2000, was the first device marketed as a 'smartphone' to reach consumers. Running Symbian OS behind a flip cover that revealed a touchscreen, it combined PDA functions with telephony and set the template for early 2000s smartphone design.
Image source: Ericsson R380
Palm launches the Palm OS-powered Kyocera QCP 6035
Feb 1, 2001
The Kyocera QCP 6035, released in early 2001, was one of the first phones to run Palm OS, merging a mobile handset with the familiar Palm PDA software suite. It helped establish the idea that mainstream consumers could carry a single device for both communication and organization.
Image source: Kyocera 6035
Key Facts
- IBM's Simon Personal Communicator, released in 1994, is widely considered the first smartphone, featuring a touchscreen, email, and apps like a calendar and address book.
- Apple's iPhone, launched in 2007, revolutionized the industry with its multi-touch interface and App Store, which debuted in 2008 and created a massive mobile app economy.
- Google released Android in 2008 as an open-source operating system, which became the world's most widely used mobile OS.
- BlackBerry dominated the business smartphone market in the 2000s with its physical keyboard and secure email before declining after the iPhone's rise.
- Modern smartphones have evolved to include features like facial recognition, multiple high-resolution cameras, 5G connectivity, and on-device artificial intelligence.
Source
This History of Smartphones timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.
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