Evolution of the Smartphone

Simon Personal Communicator

Nov 23, 1992

Released at the COMDEX computer and technology trade show, the Simon Personal Communicator was revolutionary in introducing the concept of a "smartphone" to the public. The Simon Personal Communicator combined a cell phone and a PDA into one device. It was the first phone to combine phone calls and texts with emails, along with web browsing..

Apple Newton MessagePad

Aug 1, 1993

The Apple Newton MessagePad was considered one of the first-ever Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). It allowed for gathering, managing and storing information, and had some apps including Time Zone Maps and Currency Converters.

Nokia 9000 Communicator

Aug 15, 1996

The Nokia 9000 Communicator provided a wide range of mobile communications services as well as personal organization functions. The product combined a GSM phone with applications like fax, e-mail, short messaging and Internet access. It also featured the most useful organizer functions; a calendar, an address book and a calculator. All of this was available in pocket-sized unit with an outward facing keyboard.

First photo shared wirelessly through cell phone

Jun 11, 1997

Stemming from a desire to send a picture of his newborn child to his friends and family, Philippe Kahn created the first camera phone. Kahn roughly combined the popular machinery of the time, a Casio QV-10 digital camera with a Motorola Startac cellphone. On this date an image of newborn Sophie Kahn was the first photo to ever be taken and shared wirelessly through a cellphone.

Ericsson Penelope

Jul 1, 1997

Ericsson released the GS 88 concept, otherwise known as the Penelope, in July 1997. Its outward appearance and design were strikingly similar to that of the Nokia 9000 Communicator but through innovation it housed a touchscreen on the inside and came with a stylus. This was the first time the word "smartphone" was coined when talking about a personal communicating device.

Blackberry 850

Jul 1, 1999

The Blackberry 850 was one of the first mobile devices to be introduced under Blackberry name. Users could send messages, use email, and send and receive pages. Blackberry mobile phones was developed by RIM (Research In Motion).

The first Camera Phone

Jun 1, 2000

Samsung released the first camera phone, the SCH-V200, in June of 2000. The camera was capable of taking 20 photos at a 350,000 pixel resolution. The camera and phone aspects of the device were basically two separate components in the same device.

First Camera Phone in America

Nov 1, 2002

The Sanyo SCP-5300 was released in America in November 2002. It followed the trend happening in Japan, and its camera "also had a basic flash, white balance control, self-timer, digital zoom, and various filter effects like sepia, black and white, and negative colors." (Digital Trends)

Key Players Introduced

Period: Jul 1, 2003 to Jul 1, 2006

[Between 2003 to 2006, smart phone manufacturers explored dozens of functions to increase mobile functionality. Sliding and flipping keyboards, to rotating displays and vertical keyboards were showcased. Cameras were also featured after the technology developments and trends from Japan came to America. Brands that ruled this space included BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Symbian. ](p://pocketnow.com/2014/07/28/the-evolution-of-the-smartphone)

An Improvement in Camera Resolution

Jul 1, 2004

In July 2004, Sprint introduced the Audiovox PM8920, which had the 1.3 megapixel camera which captured 1280 x 960 pixel resolution pictures. This meant that photos taken on this camera phone were of high enough quality to be printed. This signaled the dramatic rise in the trend of camera phone ownership among everyday consumers.

First camera phone with optical zoom

Jul 1, 2004

In the summer of 2004 Vodafone Japan released the first camera phone with optical zoom. It provided users with two megapixels of autofocus and with 2X zoom. It was a significant improvement at the time, dominating the fixed focus cameras on the market at the same time. However, the phone was only availble in Japan.

Rise in Smartphone Usage

Period: Jul 1, 2004 to Jul 1, 2007

2004 through 2007 saw a dramatic rise in smartphone usage among everyday consumers. With the popularity of Sidekicks and Blackberries, consumers became even more familiar with using cameras on their smartphones.

First SMARTphone with optical zoom lens

Apr 1, 2006

Nokia N93 was released and marketed as the first smart phone with an optical zoom lens. It included camera features of autofocus, white balance presents and scene options. The 3X zoom allowed for focal length of 35-97mm, or the equivalent of a 35 mm camera.

iPhone is Introduced

Jan 9, 2007

On January 9, 2007, Apple revolutionized the smart phone industry with the release of the iPhone. The iPhone housed all of its communicating platforms on one large screen, making it visually appealing. It also had multitasking capabilities and had pinching and zooming capabilities.

New Smartphones Hit Market after iPhone Debut

Period: Jul 1, 2007 to Jul 1, 2011

Not long after the iPhone arrived, a flood of new smartphones hit the market and pushed the technical specifications further up the chart. The LG Optimus X2 was the first dual-core mobile processor. The Optimus X2's camera also supported HD video recording.

Google introduces Android OS

Nov 1, 2007

Shortly after Apple released its first iPhone model, Google came out with the Android operating system. Although primarily designed for touchscreen mobile devices, it has now been used in a variety of other electronics such as PCs, digital cameras, gaming consoles, and so forth. There are even programs for TVs, cars, and wrist watches thanks to Android TV, Android Auto and Android Wear, respectively. As of 2013, it is Android is the highest selling and most widely used OS.

First 8 MP Camera Phone

Jul 24, 2008

On Jul 24, 2008, Samsung announced it's global launch of first 8-megapixel camera phone which was designed for powerful mobile photography and multimedia experiences. The Samsung 8 MP offered users top of the range camera technologies, a surround-sound cinematic video experience, the best mobile Internet browsing experience and mobile gaming capabilities to date.

Camera phone with HD recording

May 1, 2009

Samsung was the first to release the first smart phone with capabilities of high-definition recording and the playing of 720p HD video on an 8-megapixel camera. It had six shooting modes, 14 scene settings, eight resolutions, ISO, blink detection, white balance and anti-shake technologies.

HTC Droid Eris - pinch to zoom camera introduced

Nov 1, 2009

Late in the year Verizon wireless released the HTC Droid Eris. It was one of the first phones to offer the “pinch-to-zoom multitouch” camera feature. It also came to be the first Android phone released under $100.

Sprint introduces first 4G smartphone

Jun 1, 2010

Sprint developed and released the first 4G phone in the United States. The HTC Evo 4G came with the Android’s 2.1 operating system. The smart phone came with mobile hot spot and an HDMI port.

Samsung Galaxy series phones released

Period: Aug 1, 2010 to Apr 1, 2014

In August of 2010 the first of the Samsung Galaxy series of smartphones was released. Over the four-year period several providers have modified versions of the Android operating system in several different phones. The most recently released is the Samsung Galaxy S5, released in April in 2014.

Instagram Introduced

Oct 6, 2010

The mobile photo sharing Instgram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Since its inception, Instagram has become the number one photo-sharing social platform. Currently, the cellphone application receives 55 billion photo uploads a day.

Flopped Technology - 3D Camera Phones

Nov 1, 2011

HTC and LG, smartphone and camera phone innovators, released products in 2011 with cameras that could essentially take photos or videos in "stereographic 3D." Unfortunately, there was no demand among consumers for this feature and their products flopped. This signaled a need for improved software features instead of camera technologies in smartphones.

The 41 megapixel camera phone

Jul 1, 2013

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is released, with a 41 megapixel camera. It was boasted as the smartphone with the highest quality camera on the market.

Amazon releases "Fire Phone"

Jun 1, 2014

Amazon brought something totally new to the smartphone market by including “head-tracking technology” in its new Fire phone, which retails for less than $200. The head-tracking technology “adds depth to the phone…through four corner-mounted, front-facing infrared cameras and produces wild 3D effects.” The phone has been exclusively available through AT&T for $199 with a two-year contract and also includes a free year of Amazon Prime.

Apple introduces iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

Sep 9, 2014

On September 9, 2014, Apple introduced the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, with what it called the biggest advancements in iPhone history. The new phones have new retina HD displays, use the ApplaPay system and a more powerful A8 chip. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also represent big changes in cameras for smartphones - the iSight camera features focus pixels and optical image stabilization.

Microsoft introduces first non-Nokia Lumia

Nov 11, 2014

Microsoft Corp bought out Finnish handset company Nokia just a few months ago and is already planning on releasing a new Lumia 535 smartphone this month (November ’14) sans the Nokia name, with more affordable prices in its key markets. The Lumia 535, priced at around $140 USD, is what the company describes as one of their “lower-end” smartphones with its main emphasis on affordability.