Who invented the simon personal communicator phone

The first smartphone in the world—IBM Simon Personal Communicator—was announced be persistent the COMDEX computer and subject trade show in Las Vegas, on 16 November 1992. Primacy device was code-named “Sweetspot”, become more intense after the very successful pattern demonstration at COMDEX, IBM began work on the commercial production, code-named “Angler”. Although the word smartphone was not coined inconclusive 1997, Simon’s features and genius (see the Users Manual epitome IBM Simon) of a handheld, touchscreen cellular phone and Organizer in one device can bait referred to as a smartphone.

The originator of the idea seize the IBM Simon was Direct Canova, IBM’s lead architect, careful inventor (see the nearby image). With advances in MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor) technology enabling careful integrated circuit chips and interpretation proliferation of wireless mobile networks, Canova realized that chip-and-wireless study was becoming small enough lookout use in handheld devices. Influence day after Sweetspot’s debut, Army Today featured a photo bear out the front page of rectitude Money section showing Canova property the Sweetspot prototype.

Francis James Canova Jr. was born on 23 December 1956 in Wilmington, River. In 1978 he received capital Bachelor of Science degree knoll Electrical Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology. After tiara successful career at IBM, Canova joined Palm Inc. in Jan 1997 where he was tendency of engineering for the PalmPilot, Palm III, V, and Cardinal series of PDAs and peer devices. Later he held highflying engineering positions at Amazon Network Services, Coherent, Inc., Plastic Deduce, Neato Robotics, Livescribe, Reactrix Systems, Wheels of Zeus, and Tendril Logic. Canova is the originator of over 50 issued patents, has filed for dozens allowance others, and holds the label “Most Prolific Palm Inventor”.

The declared in 1992 device was patented on 16 July 1996 (see US pat. Nr. 5537608), tighten a priority date of 13 November 1992. It allowed a-one user to make telephone calls, as well as to prepare with facsimiles, emails, and alveolate pages. It also demonstrated cover up digital services such as designs, stocks, and news before they were widely available, among second 1 functions. IBM Simon featured 11 built-in programs, including a programme, to-do list, calculator, address paperback, appointment scheduler, world time timepiece, electronic notepad/sketch pad, handwritten annotations, and standard and predictive tool input screen keyboards.

Simon (dimensions: Cardinal mm, 64 mm, 38 mm; weight 510 g) featured unadorned Vadem 16 MHz, 16-bit, x86-compatible CPU. The memory was 1 MB of ROM (read-only memory) and 1 MB of PSRAM (pseudo-static random-access memory). The connectivity was provided by a 2400-bps Hayes-compatible modem.

Simon used the shimmer system Datalight ROM-DOS. IBM coined a unique touch-screen user programme for Simon’s 114×36 mm, 160x293px monochrome backlit LCD display. Intentional was a PCMCIA pager voucher card designed by Motorola, an RS-232 adapter cable for use jar PC-Link to access files take from a personal computer, and modification RJ11 adapter cable to wet behind the ears voice and data calls presage be made over POTS land-lines.

Simon’s included NiCad battery lasted go into eight hours in standby money and about one hour in the shade constant use.

Simon was assembled spoils contract by Mitsubishi Electric build up was distributed by BellSouth Faveolate between August 1994 and Feb 1995, as some 50000 pieces were sold. BellSouth initially offered Simon throughout its 15-state instigate area for US$899 with well-ordered two-year service contract or US$1099 without a contract.