Happy Birthday, Smartphone!

[EmilieT]

Hi guys, 

No, it's not the Birthday of a mysterious member called Smartphone, but the anniversary of the release of the very first smartphone!

                                                                       

The IBM Simon Personal Communicator, considered to be the first smartphone, went on sale on 16 August 1994, 24 years ago today. It had a touchscreen, email capability, apps, and was the first stepping stone towards our beloved current digital companions. We've come such a long way since 1994 

Did any of you have an IBM Simon?

What was YOUR very first smartphone?

I'm very curious to see your replies, and please join me in wishing all smartphones around the world a very

happy Birthday 

[Anonymous]

The iPhone was the first proper smartphone 

It’s okay, I’ll get my coat  

[Anonymous]

On a serious note, the Sony Ericsson K750 was my first ever camera phone.

It was a popular phone back in the day, but the specifications were really modest compared to what is available nowadays. Regardless of which operating system you favour, it truly is remarkable how much computing power can be found in a mobile device. 

[EmilieT]

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@Anonymous wrote:

The iPhone was the first proper smartphone 

It’s okay, I’ll get my coat  

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Noooo, stay @Anonymous  

I always love looking at older phones like the Sony Ericsson K750 you linked to, very nostalgic ... Did you stick with it for a while or explored new ventures soon after?

[Anonymous]

My first smartphone was the iPhone 3GS in 2011 but first camera phone would have been the Sony Ericsson K750

[Glory1]

My first smartphone was the Samsung Galaxy S III. Smartphones have come a long way since then.

[Anonymous]

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@Glory1 wrote:
My first smartphone was the Samsung Galaxy S III. Smartphones have come a long way since then.

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They’ve kind of reached a plateau in terms of technological breakthroughs, don’t you think?

I don’t think I’ve kept any phone for longer than 18 months, because there’s always been an upgraded version that was worth waiting for. But some of the newest handsets that have come out recently, only seemed to offer minor improvements in specifications, and it becomes harder to justify changing them on a regular basis.

[Glory1]

My jusification for changing my phone on a regular basis, ie every 2 years, is because I wear my phones out. As I use them for literally everything including logging into the community as well as playing games (lots of games!), my phones are knackered after 2 years. My present phone is ok at the moment but it's only coming up to 16 months old. By April next year, when I can upgrade, it will be worn out.

I agree though @Anonymous from the standpoint of technological breakthroughs, not much has changed in the last few years. Although the screens are getting bigger, which I admit I do like.

[Anonymous]

They have come to a stand still recently. I haven’t seen anything innovative on an iPhone for at least 3-4 years since the iPhone 6 & 6 Plus we’re unveiled. Even Samsung are starting to become stale & boring 

[sheepdog]

SmartPhones have definitely lost their way, design and functionality wise. Basically its an app update machine as thats what happens most of the time. I have little reason other than screen size to change from the iPhone 5S as it does what I want now.

I've always been a fan of PDA's so its only in the last few years that I've got smartphones. I'd have to say for productivity, my XDA Zest was far better than both the iPhone and Nexus/Moto X. Times move on though and the biggest problem I find is that functionality keeps getting re-worked for the worse in my opinion to the point where any new model means a regressive step. 

I'm really hoping Microsoft actually produce a Surface Phone that is similar to the clamshell with a stylus just to spark some life back into the market.