IBM Simon Personal Communicator was the forerunner of the modern smartphone
Never judge a phone by its cover. This chunky, black box was in fact the world's first 'smartphone'


The IBM Simon went on sale to the public on 16 August 1994 and combined mobile phone technology with a wide range of computing features.



To mark the 20th anniversary, London's Science Museum is putting it on display in its new Information Age gallery.

"The Simon wasn't called a smartphone back then," said curator Charlotte Connelly.

"But it had a lot of the features we see today. It had a calendar, it could take notes and send emails and messages and combined all of this with a cell phone."

Weighing in at 500g (1.1lb), the Simon was not exactly pocket-sized. However, Ms Connelly insisted the design was ahead of its time.


"It looks like a grey block but it's not as big as you'd imagine," she said. "It had a stylus and a green LCD screen, which is similar in size to the iPhone 4. In fact, it's not a bad looking thing."


Price tag

The device was particularly popular with members of the business community, who craved a transportable phone that doubled up as a mini-computer.

However, a hefty price tag and limited battery life contributed to its eventual disappearance from the market around two years after its launch.

"It only had an hour's battery, it was $899 and there was no mobile internet at the time. So it wasn't very successful," said Ms Connelly.

The IBM smartphone will be displayed in a section of the gallery called The Cell

The Simon will go on display this October as part of the Information Age exhibition - the first permanent gallery in the UK dedicated to the history of communication and information technology.

More than 800 objects are on display at the event, which aims to illustrate how far communication has come since the 1980s.

Ms Connelly said the exhibition also acts as a reminder of a different era, free from constant connectivity.

"It does remind us of that time. I definitely enjoy getting away from things and deliberately disconnecting myself," she said. "There's something quite nice about that."

What do you think about this and can you use or have you used phone like this before?.
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A senior broda to 3310

That phone too worworh..
I hope it make the frontpage, i want to knw what my fellow nl user will say about this.

Smartphone indeed..

Chai... Man pikin don suffer...lol

Thank goodness am in this present era..

And I envy those in the future era in advance

Warlord3000: Smartphone indeed..

Chai... Man pikin don suffer...lol

Thank goodness am in this present era..

And I envy those in the future era in advance

u are ryt o, cant just stop laughing.

.

Hmm

It is a pity that no one it is commenting on it.
I hope it make the Fp because i wantt to knw my fellow Nlander view on it