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Is that a Phone in Your Pocket or are Just You Happy to See Me?
In the 1990s, mobile phones, portable digital assistants (PDAs) and cameras began melding into one computing device that consumers remain, not only happy to see, but cannot seem to go anywhere without - whether it be their car 🚗, their bed 🛌or their porcelain thrones 🚽. -
The First Text Message is Sent to a Phone
British engineer Neil Papworth decided no voice was needed when he sent the first SMS message from his computer to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone. What was so lacking in importance that it wasn't worth a personal touch? "Merry Christmas" But no reply was sent because, while Jarvis' Orbitel 901 was able to receive the text, it wasn't able to write back. Yes, believe it or not, that full-sized phone was considered a mobile device. -
Nokia 2010 Bringing SMS to a Phone Near You
Up to this point in time, sending SMS was a bit obnoxious. Then Finnish phone manufacturer, Nokia, introduced SMS-capable phones which allowed users to easily write messages. Displaying 2 rows of text at a time, the user could use the number pad to quickly scroll through a limited choice of letters/numbers/symbols and compose messages with their phone's number pad. -
IBM Simon Making Mobile Devices Look Smart
The Simon didn't just make and receive calls, it could send/receive faxes, email and pages. (Think of a page as the first text messages.) With PC Card support and an LCD display, Simon wasn't just a phone anymore. Instead, it housed applications like a calendar, address book, clock, notepad and a predictive stylus input screen keyboard. -
PalmPilot 1000 Getting us Organized on the Go
Palms popularized the movement toward handheld computing devices. These minicomputers featured a GUI interface, a16 MHz Motorola 68328 processor and an expandable memory slot. Both RAM and ROM could be upgraded with max limits of 12 MB and 4 MB (respectively). -
Blackberry Mania Begins
The Blackberry 850 added a full keyboard and an Intel processor. Now emails could be sent and received in real time in your pocket. This began the demise of the phone call and the voicemail. It was only a matter of time before all auditory contact would be replaced with the preferred intimate exchange: "U ⬆️?" 👀