InformationWeek SMB TechEncyclopedia

(1) A cellular telephone with built-in applications and Internet access. Smartphones provide digital voice service as well as any combination of text messaging, e-mail, Web browsing, still camera, video camera, MP3 player, video player, television and organizer. In addition to their built-in functions, smartphones have become application delivery platforms, turning the once single-minded cellphone into a mobile computer. See smartphone keyboard, PDA, Pocket PC, Symbian OS, Palm, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, iPhone and Android.

It Took More than a Decade
In 1994, IBM and BellSouth introduced a combination phone and PDA called the Simon Personal Communicator. Often touted as the first smartphone, the Simon was costly and heavy (see personal communicator). It took another decade before smartphones became small and powerful enough to be widely used, but since the advent of the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry Storm, smartphones are creating a revolution (see "Smartphones - Truly Personal" in hot topics and trends).

(2) (Smartphone) Microsoft branded the term with a capital "S" within its Windows Mobile Platform.




An Early Smartphone
In 2002, this Treo model from Palm was one of the first smartphones. It used the Palm OS to run Palm's venerable PDA application along with e-mail and Web browsing. (Image courtesy of Palm, Inc.)





Apple's iPhone
No cellphone caused as much buzz as the iPhone. Introduced in 2007, people camped out overnight to be first to own one. Its touch screen caused a paradigm shift in mobile user interfaces (see iPhone). (Image courtesy of Apple Inc.)





More Innovation Followed
Other innovative touch screens soon followed the iPhone. Introduced in 2008, these HTC Touch Diamond models integrate music player, GPS, camera and high-speed Internet access. (Image courtesy of HTC Corporation, www.htc.com)