The History of the Smartphone

The smartphone is one of the world's most innovative creations, and is predicted to reach 2.9 billion users in 2019. The first smartphone ever created is reported to be IBM's Simon Personal Communicator, released in 1994. On this device, one could write emails, text, send faxes, check one's calendar and even sketch on the screen with a stylus. In the years 2001, the next big breakthrough in smartphone technology was unveiled, the Blackberry handheld device, with calling capacity, calendar planning, texting, emailing etc. Blackberry continued to define the cellular industry by introducing the first handheld smartphone device to have a colored display, the Blackberry 7210. What happened following the the year of 2007 changed the way smartphones were viewed forever, with Steve Jobs' introduction of the very first Iphone. The Iphone was revolutionary in the sense that it had touch screen capabilities instead of conventional physical keypads, and the ability to surf the web how one would on a desktop computer. Ever since the introduction of the first Iphone, the advances seen in cellular technology has increase on a massive scale, to the point where everyday smartphones now can hold all aspects of a person's life (Identification information, passports/travel tickets, credit card information, calendar events, personal information etc). With modern day 5G and LTE networks, smartphones are quicker and sleeker than ever before. Instead of just simply making a phone call, we are able to connect with individuals via cameras (Facetime) from anywhere in the world, making both personal, and business oriented communication incredibly accessible. Smartphones have a way of bringing people together in ways unseen before their invention, and will continue advancing over the years, improving and making easier the everyday aspects of our lives. 

Citations:
A brief history of the smartphone. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sciencenode.org/feature/How did              smartphones evolve.php

The history of BlackBerry: In pictures. (2015, January 15). Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/blackberry/11347347/The-history-of-BlackBerry-in-pictures.html?image=6

The History of the Smartphone. (2016, October 31). Retrieved from http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2016/10/the-history-of-the-smartphone.html