The first attempt at creating a touchscreen phone was successfully implemented 20 years ago. Times are changing, new technologies do not stand still, and now touchscreen phones have taken a solid position in the cellular market.
Touch phones
We cannot imagine modern life without using a cell phone, it has become an integral part of it. But some ten years ago, not everyone could afford to buy a cell phone, basically it was considered a luxury item.
Currently, the mobile technology industry is developing dynamically, every year more and more new models are being created. However, touchscreen phones became a real revolution in this, which gained wide popularity among users and practically replaced the usual "push-button" ones from sales.
Creator of the first touchscreen phone
Few people know this, but in reality the first touchscreen phone was invented in 1993 by the IBM corporation, which devoted most of its activities to the creation of computer technology.
This company was founded back in 1896 by engineer Herman Hollerith. Initially, it was called the Tabulating Machine Company and was engaged in the production of calculating and analytical machines. In 1911, TMC merged with Charles Flint's companies - International Time Recording Company and Computing Scale Corporation. As a result of this process, the Computing Tabulating Recording (CTR) Corporation was formed. In 1917, CTR entered the Canadian markets under the International Business Machines (IBM) brand, and in 1924 the American division also changed its name.
IBM Simon
The first touchscreen phone was named IBM Simon. In those years, he seemed to be the highest invention among telephones and made a real sensation, although it weighed more than 0.5 kg and resembled a "brick" that has nothing to do with modern light gadgets. Despite the fact that its touch screen was created for working with a stylus, most of the operations could be carried out with your fingers.
Simon was equipped with a 160 * 293 black and white screen and a built-in modem. The rechargeable battery was rated for one hour of continuous talk time or 8-12 hours of standby time. In addition, a special slot for additional memory was provided in the design of the phone.
The operating system was a version of DOS that was developed by Datalight. The phone had 1 MB of RAM and 1 MB for various data and applications. The IBM Simon system was provided for receiving faxes, e-mail, it could function as a pager, and also run built-in applications.
The cost of such a phone was prohibitively high - about 900 US dollars, subject to the conclusion of an agreement with the operator for up to two years, or 1100 without this condition. Despite all its uniqueness, the gadget often failed and did not receive widespread distribution among users. As a result, IBM abandoned the idea of mobile production.
