[tseabrooks]

Just bad reporting. Despite what the world might like to believe smart phones existed before the iPhone, before 2007. Really, as early as 2000.

Just as an example, windows mobile was really terrible. But it did provide a web browser, data connection, installable apps, email, calendar, etc.. in your pocket.. on your phone.

It was expensive and Apple certainly did it better... but this articles metrics are disingenuous as hell.

[quandrum]

Just bad reading. Despite what you think this article says, it clearly acknowledges smart phones existed before 2007.

The source article is claiming 2002 as first availability, when Palm's and their ilk gained the ability to make phone calls.

Then it claims it took ~8 years to reach 10% saturation, and then another ~2 1/2 to reach 40% saturation.

I don't think you can call the first cell capable palm pilots the first smartphone, but that's where the article starts.

[degusta]

I wrote the underlying article - thanks for catching that I wasn't using 2007/iPhone as the timeline base.

The 2002 date was when I was saying smart phones reached general consumer availability, not when the very first one was invented. As I mention in the article, it was 2002 when Blackberry phones and Microsoft Pocket PC phones came out, as well as the aforementioned Palm-based Treos.

FWIW, here's the source article: http://www.technologyreview.com/business/40321/ And the HN discussion thread (empty, just submitted it) for it: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3951352

[pavlov]

Indeed.

The first commercial smartphone was introduced in 1996: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_9000_Communicator

The Ericsson R380 from the year 2000 was the first to look more like a modern smartphone with a full-front touchscreen: http://www.gsmarena.com/ericsson_r380-195.php

[RichClaxton]

I actually worked on the 9000 Communicator when I worked for Geoworks in the UK, many moons ago.

We also worked on the Seiko Epson locatio, phone with PDA browser and GPS all in 1998, http://www.knorbury.co.uk/locatio.gif

[diminish]

totally agree about the misguiding article. When you compare to the first 2billion mobile phones, smartphones may even be seen as slower, given there is a strict definition for what a smartphone is.