Nowadays the word “smartphone” won’t surprise anyone. Even if you don’t have it, you’ve heard it at least once and know roughly what it means!
But that’s the point, roughly. Not everyone knows exactly what the word smartphone means, how it appeared and how this gadget differs from a telephone, communicator or PDA. Let's try to figure it all out together.

Meaning of the term Smartphone

The Russian language nowadays is full of foreign words. And this term is no exception.
The word Smartphone comes from the English Smartphone, which, in turn, combines two words:
Smart- means "smart"
Phone- means "telephone".

Thus, we can conclude that Smartphone is a phone with smart features mobile computer: both computing (processor, RAM, ROM) and communication (WiFi, 4g/LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS).

What then is called the Communicator?!

Don't forget about the synonymous word - Communicator. The fact is that in their meaning both terms are actually the same thing. The confusion here arose again thanks to the manufacturers. And here's why! At that time there were no tablets, and in their place on the market there were PDAs - pocket personal computers. At its core, it was a small tablet on operating system Windows Mobile. Despite the fact that it had a touch screen, it was impossible to control the gadget as it is now with a finger. For these purposes, a special stylus similar to a ballpoint pen was used (by the way, until recently it was still found on Samsung Galaxy Note).
And what the manufacturer considered his brainchild to be depended on what he would call it. If the developers thought it was a phone with PDA functions, it was a “Smartphone.” If they positioned it as a PDA with telephone functions, then it is a “Communicator”.
Of course, now that the very concept of “Pocket Personal Computer” has simply disappeared, as have the devices themselves that represent this class, the semantic difference between the two names of the same device has disappeared.

There was another classification option based on the operating system installed on the device. It so happened that if the operating system is installed Microsoft Windows Mobile or PalmOS- then this is a communicator, but if the gadget is controlled Symbian OS, then this is already a smartphone. Of course, now, after some time, such a division seems strange and absurd, but then, in the early 2000s, that’s how it was. The funny thing is that the advent of Android and iOS almost eliminated their predecessors. Palm OS and Symbian have practically sunk into oblivion, and Windows Mobile has transformed into Windows Phone.

Mobile operating systems

At the moment, we can name 10 main mobile operating systems that have been the most popular over the past 15 years:

Android - iOS - Windows Phone (Mobile, CE) - BlackBerry - Symbian - Samsung Bada - FireFox OS - Palm OS - Web OS - Linux Ubuntu

Unfortunately, a considerable part of them are already in the past and are unlikely to receive further development. Currently TOP3 looks like this:

The history of smartphones

At the beginning of 2000, a new mobile phone, Ericsson R380, appeared on the market. This was the first device that the manufacturer officially called a “smartphone” and from which the development of an entire class of mobile equipment began.

Ericsson R380 ran on the Symbian OS mobile operating system and had a monochrome touch screen.
Almost immediately after it, a competitor appeared on the market - Nokia 9210.

By this time, Nokia already had a whole line of communicators, but none of them were popular. They were bulky, uncomfortable and poorly functional. Therefore, model 9210 was fundamentally different and, accordingly, they began to call it differently - Smartphone. That is, Nokia positioned it precisely as an advanced phone. Then a flurry of development began, during which more and more new players entered the race - HTC, Sony, Motorola, Siemens. Have been tried absolutely different technologies and form factors (sliders, clamshells). The phones were equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard.

This continued until 2007, when a new trendsetter appeared on the scene - the iPhone smartphone on the iOS operating system from Apple.

This keyboardless monoblock set the direction of development for the next decades. And a little later, its main competitor saw the light of day - the Android operating system and first dozens, and then hundreds of smartphone models running on this OS.

What is the difference between a smartphone and a mobile phone

1. Software filling. The phone simply has firmware with a certain set of functions. The communicator already uses a full-fledged operating system (IOS, Android or Windows), which allows you not only to use the existing capabilities, but also to expand it by installing additional programs.

2. Hardware capabilities. It’s unlikely that anyone knows what chip and how many RAM used on a regular push-button telephone. But modern smartphones already use multi-core processors and several gigabytes of RAM. In terms of performance, such devices outshine computers older than 5-6 years.

3. Communication capabilities: availability WiFi modules, 4G/LTE, GPS, GLONASS.

4. Additional features: Pedometer, gyroscope, IR port, USB.

5. Ability to work with various types of files: audio, video, documents, tables, presentations.

6. Data synchronization with cloud services Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc.

7. Screen size. The phone does not need a display with large diagonal. And it simply cannot work with higher resolution due to modest hardware capabilities. Smartphones and tablets have an average screen size of 5 inches.

Smartphone

Samsung Galaxy Nexus - smartphone on Android based OS

Communicator Qtek S100

Smartphone, colloquial smartphone(English) smartphone- smart phone) - a mobile phone comparable to a personal pocket computer (PDA). Also, the term “communicator” is often used to refer to some devices that combine the functionality of a mobile phone and a PDA.

It is important to note that programs written specifically for the operating system of a smartphone or communicator are complete sequences of low-level microprocessor commands compiled into binary code. Specialized applications use processor resources more efficiently and, as a rule, have more functionality than “universal” J2ME programs. However, for most users this circumstance is not the main selection criterion. Smartphones are promoted by manufacturers due to other factors, such as advanced multimedia functions(better camera, enhanced video playback capabilities, improved music capabilities), Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.

Smartphones and communicators

Currently there is no clear distinction between smartphones And communicators, since the functionality of both classes of devices is approximately the same. Different experts and manufacturers interpret these terms differently. The so-called “historical approach” is often used, which is as follows: if a device traces its origins to PDAs, then it is a communicator, and if it originates from mobile phones, then it is a smartphone. As part of this approach, under communicators usually refers to devices with a touch screen (can be supplemented with a keyboard) running the Apple iOS, Windows Phone, Open webOS or Android operating system. Devices with Windows Mobile that use exclusively a QWERTY and/or numeric keyboard (analogous to a telephone) to enter information are called smartphones. Most devices running Symbian OS are traditionally classified as smartphones (with the exception of Nokia 9xxx series, Nokia E90 and some others). In other cases, the positioning of the device depends on the manufacturer (usually devices with touch screen are classified as communicators, while smartphones are devices without such a screen).

Also, some experts distinguish between communicators and smartphones, respectively, by the presence or absence of a full-size (QWERTY) keyboard (virtual or physical).

In the early 2000s, the line between smartphones and communicators was more pronounced. The first communicators were actually PDAs with an additional GSM module. They did not differ from PDAs either in size (screen diagonal 3.5-4 inches, resolution 320×240) or in weight, and additional telephone functions contributed to the rise in price of the device and reduced the time battery life. Smartphones, in turn, differed little from telephones; the screen size and resolution were low, and the functionality did not reach that of a PDA. Nokia, when promoting its smartphones, placed the main emphasis on design, gaming and multimedia capabilities, etc., without focusing on the intelligence of the devices. However, over time, products called smartphones and communicators have become closer. The size of communicators decreased, and telephone functions came to the fore. On the contrary, the size of smartphones increased, and the functionality reached the level of a PDA.

The next stage in the development of smartphones began after the successful entry into the market of the iPhone mobile phone from Apple. The operating system of this device, positioned as a smartphone, was functionally reduced for marketing reasons. Thus, the ability to install third-party programs was limited, and there were restrictions in terms of multitasking. However, thanks to its successful design and smart promotion policy, this device became a trendsetter and set new standards for keyboardless devices. If in the mid-2000s the screen size of most communicators and smartphones was 2.4-2.8 inches with a resolution of 320×240 pixels, now a 3-5" screen with a resolution of 480×320 (iPhone, Android) has become typical. , 800×480 (Android), 640×360 (S60v5, Symbian³), 960×640 (iPhone 4/4S, Android), 1280×720 (Android).

History of smartphones and communicators

Nokia 9000 Communicator closed

Line of Nokia 9xxx communicators (9000, 9110, 9210, 9500)

Ideas for combining functionality cell phone and pocket personal computers appeared almost immediately after the appearance of the first pocket personal computers in the early 90s of the XX century. The first such attempt is considered to be the IBM Simon phone, first presented to the public as a concept on November 23, 1992 by IBM. In 1994, this device was released for sale in the United States. mobile operator Bell South. The cost of the device was $899 with a contract and just over $1,000 without it. In addition to telephone functions, the device included organizer functions, could send and receive faxes, allowed you to work with e-mail, and also contained several games. There were no control keys; all actions were performed via the touch screen. Due to its large dimensions and weight (more than 1 kg), the device has not received significant distribution.

At the end of 2008 the company Sony Ericsson and Motorola abandoned further development of the UIQ platform. At the same time, Nokia released the Nokia 5800 touchscreen device based on Symbian OS 9.4. The smartphone supports control without using a stylus and is aimed at the mass market. Simultaneously with this device, the flagship smartphone Nokia N97 with a touch screen and a sliding QWERTY/YZUKEN keyboard was announced, which was released in mid-2009.

Major smartphone manufacturers

Smartphone market statistics by manufacturer:

Operating systems

Apple iPhone 4 is one of the most popular smartphones in the world

The most common operating systems and platforms for smartphones:

Smartphone product statistics by operating system share:

Smartphones and malware

The openness of the operating system of smartphones and communicators gives rise to another problem that is well known to users of personal computers - computer viruses and other malicious programs. To protect against this danger, most leading antivirus software developers have created special versions of antivirus programs for mobile operating systems (for example, Kaspersky Mobile Security from Kaspersky Lab).

Most modern malware for mobile devices(mostly Trojan horses) are distributed via the Internet under the guise of useful programs (games, codecs for video players and others), or locally in crowded places via bluetooth. In this case, the installation of the malicious program must be confirmed by the user. To protect against such viruses, it is enough to exercise reasonable caution: do not accept Bluetooth connection requests from strangers, do not install suspicious programs from unreliable sources, etc. However, as the number of smartphones and communicators used to access the Internet grows ( thanks to the introduction of new technologies wireless communication, Mobile WiMAX and others), malware for mobile devices can become a serious danger.

It should also be noted that regular mobile phones can also be infected with malware (there are malicious J2ME programs, it is possible to exploit phone OS vulnerabilities, etc.).

Notes

1. eldarmurtazin: What is a smartphone?
2. This day in business history: the world's first smartphone (Russian). Forbes. forbes.ru (November 23, 2012). Archived from the original on November 24, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
3. The end of UIQ
4. Canalys: Global smart phone shipments rise 28% (English). Archived
5. Canalys: Analysis of the smartphone market in 2008 (Russian). Archived from the original on August 25, 2011.
6. Canalys: Smart phone market shows modest growth in Q3 (English) . Archived from the original on August 25, 2011.
7. Smartphone market: RIM jumps past Windows Mobile in 2Q08 (English). jkOnTheRun (September 12, 2008). (inaccessible link -

The first touch phone in the world was the Simon model from the manufacturer computer equipment IBM. The gadget was released in 1993, although the first sample of the phone was announced back in 1992. The weight of the device was about 500 grams, which made it much more difficult to use and carry. The shape of this device resembled a brick. One way or another, this mobile phone became the first smartphone in history because it ran an operating system.

The main applications that were installed on the device system were a calendar, calculator, notepad, address book, email functions and games. The phone was able to create handwritten notes using the included stylus. Text input was carried out using an intelligent QWERTY keyboard. The smartphone could use a PCMCIA memory card to store data.

PCMCIA cards were widely used in laptops and became the prototype of modern flash drives.

It is worth noting that this device was not designed for use with fingers and a stylus could be used to control functions. This device was included in the list of the 50 most important devices invented by mankind. Price of this smartphone started at $900 with connection to a telecom operator and about $1,100 for purchasing a phone without connection with the ability to install your own SIM card.

More modern models of touch phones

The next phone that was released with a touch screen was the Sharp PMC-1 Smartphone, which was a product of the Japanese technology manufacturer. He was significantly smaller than his predecessors and had all the equipment available at that time functionality.

The phone was based as a competitor to the later released Nokia 9000, which became more widely used and became the first mass series of smartphones from the Finnish mobile device manufacturer.

In 2007, the first devices that were oriented towards finger pressing and had a capacitive screen with Multi-touch technology went into mass production. This function allows you to control the device interface with several fingers, for example, to zoom in on an image or work with programs. Such devices were the first iPhone and LG KE850 Prada. The latter has won numerous awards thanks to its touchscreen display.

Today, the word “smartphone” is strongly associated with mobile phones. This is not surprising: the lion's share of all global sales of cellular devices comes from devices running Android, iOS and Windows Phone. However, this was not always the case: before acquiring its modern appearance, mobile phones went through a long evolutionary path, lasting more than 50 years.

20th century: invention of mobile phones

The first portable phones began to be developed back in the 50s of the last century. The development was carried out mainly by military organizations, which saw the invention as a convenient means of special communication. The first devices were distinguished by their impressive weight and dimensions (up to 5 kg in weight and more than 30 cm in length).

Progress was the creation in 1973 of Motorola DynaTAC - the first mobile phone, which had dimensions of 22x12x4 cm and could work without recharging for up to 8 hours. It was not equipped with a display and had 12 dialing keys.

In 1981, the analogue protocol was created cellular communications NMT, which made it possible to create devices that became the founders of modern mobile telephony. Later, this standard was given the title of the first generation of cellular networks. However, there was still a lot of time left before the creation of a smartphone. The first devices for NMT networks were bulky (weight up to 1 kg, length up to 30 cm), minimal functionality and high price (up to 5 thousand dollars).

90s: the beginning of an eraGSM, the emergence of compact devices

In 1992, the first network was launched in Germany mobile communications second generation, operating according to the GSM standard. It was he who later became the most widespread in the world. And although the first devices for these networks differed little from their predecessors for NMT, the development of microelectronics made it possible to expand the functionality of cellular devices.

In the same 1993, the first prototype saw the light modern smartphones, IBM Simon, costing about $1000. For this money, in addition to the ability to make calls, buyers received a calendar, address book, clock, notepad, email client and games.

The device had a 16-bit processor operating at a frequency of 16 MHz, 1 MB of memory, and a monochrome display with a resolution of 160x293 pixels and dimensions of 4.5x1.4″. The display of the great-grandfather of modern smartphones was touch-sensitive and supported input from an on-screen keyboard. Using the stylus, you could create handwritten notes and save them in memory. Today, all these opportunities look like something self-evident, but then, more than 20 years ago, their presence seemed like unprecedented progress.

1996: Nokia 9000 Communicator

In an era when the word “smartphone” had not yet been invented, mobile devices with advanced functionality were commonly called “communicators.” And this trend continued until the end of the last decade.

The first communicator on the market was the Nokia 9000 Communicator. The miniature (for its time) device resembled a laptop and consisted of two parts: a mobile phone built into the lid, and a pocket computer that became accessible when the device was opened.

The external display was monochrome, displayed 4 lines of text and did not stand out in any way. But the internal screen had a fairly high resolution of 640x200 pixels, although it was also black and white. The device was running the universal GEOS OS.

Turn of the millennium: the emergence of “smartphones”

In 1998, with the participation of Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola, the Symbian consortium was created, which began developing the Symbian OS - a system that became the leader in the smartphone market in the 2000s.

Running the new OS, the first mobile phone was created, officially called a “smartphone” (smart phone). It was the Ericsson R380, which received Symbian OS v5.1, 2 MB of RAM, a 3.5 touch screen with a resolution of 120x360 pixels (black and white) and a folding keyboard.

Around the same time, the HTC company was created in Taiwan, which in the future became one of the leading manufacturers of “smart” mobile phones. Unlike competitors, its products were practically not called “smartphones” and HTC devices for a long time were called "communicators".

2001: revolution

This year, Finnish Nokia made a huge contribution to the development and popularization of smartphones. Nokia 9210 Communicator, made in the same format as its “grandfather”, model 9000, for the first time received a color screen with a resolution of 640x200 pixels. Symbian OS in version 6 has become more open and third-party developers have the opportunity to develop programs for it.

In the same year, the Nokia 7650, the first slider smartphone, saw the light of day. Russian citizens remembered him thanks to the film “Night Watch,” where he appeared as the main character. The device had a display with a resolution of 176x208 pixels, a 0.3 MP camera, an infrared port and Bluetooth. But the small amount of RAM and permanent memory (4 MB each) without the possibility of expansion did not allow the device to become widespread.

Also, 2001 was marked by the release of a mobile OS from Microsoft – Windows Pocket PC 2000, which made it possible to combine the functionality of a cell phone and a pocket computer.

Mid-2000s: two paths

From then on, mobile devices went down different paths. The devices, commonly called smartphones, operated under Symbian OS and had appearance, similar to conventional mobile phones. The main differences were an enlarged (up to 2-2.5″) display, the ability to install third-party software and advanced functionality. It is these devices that have become the most widespread type of “smart” mobile phones.

Communicators running under Windows control Mobile and produced by companies such as HTC, HP or E-ten, were radically different from “regular” smartphones. Most of them did not have hardware dialing keys, were equipped with touch screens with an enlarged (up to 2.5-3″) diagonal and had fairly similar hardware.

As a rule, it was a single-core processor with a frequency of 100-400 MHz, 16-64 MB of RAM, support for memory cards, and a 0.3-2 MP camera. The screen resolution was 320x240 pixels. A stylus was used to control the communicator. Such devices have never been widespread and are in demand among “advanced” users, as well as business representatives.

Manufacturers rarely crossed the border between these two categories, but attempts still took place. Thus, Sony-Ericsson concentrated its efforts on devices with a touchscreen, built on the basis of Symbian UIQ, but having a more traditional form factor; Nokia updated the 9xxx line and even released the 7700 touchscreen device (which, unfortunately, was ahead of its time and did not live up to expectations ), and Samsung experimented intensively, creating both communicators and smartphones.

HTC did not lag behind them, from time to time delighting customers with both touch and keyboard devices on Windows Mobile, sold under the Qtek brand.

2007: Apple coup, exitAndroid

An important stage in the development of smartphones was 2007, which was remembered for the release of the iPhone and creation of Android OS. Steve Jobs' presentation of a multimedia cellular device with a huge (for that time) touch screen, oriented to finger control (not a stylus), became a real sensation. People stood in line for the new product and overpaid impressive sums in order to quickly become the owner.

In 2007, the first version of Google's OS, called Android, was released. The first serial device under its control was the HTC Dream, which received a 528 MHz processor, 200 MB of RAM, a 3.2″ touch screen and a hardware keyboard.

Apple's success has encouraged other companies to move in the same direction. Nokia refocused on the production of touch devices, having announced the multimedia smartphone 5800 in 2008, Samsung accelerated its already ongoing developments in this direction, and Sony-Ericsson and Motorola stopped working on Symbian UIQ.

Late 2000s: departure of veterans

An untimely change in the development vector, unsuccessful marketing and new requirements for smartphones forced market giants such as Nokia and Microsoft to radically change direction. Symbian Windows and Mobile OS gradually lost popularity, forcing developers to look for something new. Once occupying more than 90% of the smartphone market, both systems have significantly weakened their position and faded into oblivion.

Even the union of these two companies did not allow them to catch up; Windows Mobile replaced Windows Phone in 2010, and Simbian gradually fell into oblivion. The purchase of Nokia's mobile division did not help the American software giant much: today the share of smartphones is Windows based in the world does not exceed 10%.

Modernity

Smartphones today are multimedia computers that are equipped with large high-definition screens (from 4″), multi-core processors and gigabytes of RAM. It seems that over the past 5 years, changes concern only design and hardware, but progress does not stand still. New features such as fingerprint scanner, voice control, camera and sound, are constantly evolving, reaching a new level of implementation. We'll see what awaits us in a couple of years, but you can be sure: the future is not far off.

A generation has grown up that seriously believes that phones with touch screens originate from the iPhone. We will not dispute the enormous influence of the Apple device on the mobile industry, but we will still restore justice - touchscreen devices appeared long before the birth of the first one. Apple smartphone.

Today we indulge in sweet nostalgic memories of what the era of touchscreen mobile phones was like before the iPhone. She was, by the way, extremely interesting. In this article, in chronological order, we will tell you about ten iconic models that made a lot of noise in their time.

10. IBM Simon. Release date: 1994

In many ways, this device was a first. It was one of the first smartphones and the first mobile phone with a touch screen. It was shown as an incredibly advanced prototype back in 1992, and two years later it was finally released for sale for $900. Taking into account inflation, such a thing would now cost one and a half thousand dollars!

For its time, Simon was a real breakthrough. Mobile phone, pager, fax, notepad, notebook, e-mail and, most importantly, virtual keyboard! You could even take handwritten notes with the stylus. It's a pity that the touch screen was monochrome, and even with a super-low resolution of 160x293 pixels.

Despite all the innovation, Simon could not boast of high sales. In total, about two thousand copies of the device were released, which eventually quickly sank into oblivion, but was forever written in the history of mobile technology.

9. Sharp PMC-1. Release date: 1998

Four years after the release of Simon and its failure, the Japanese company Sharp decided to revive the idea of ​​​​a smart phone with a touch screen. The result was a device called PMC-1.

Intended for a narrow market, it gained even less popularity than Simon. Today it is impossible to find complete information and even high-quality photographs of the Sharp PMC-1 - the model was so rare and unclaimed. In general, the time for touch screen phones has not yet come; they have been forgotten for several years.

8. Ericsson R380. Release date: 2000

But it was a breakthrough and a bomb! The device became the first mobile phone officially called a smartphone - it ran on the then completely new Symbian OS. The price was steep, but the device was worth it. It is curious that the Swedes tried to please both those subscribers who preferred standard-type phones and those who longed for high-tech changes.

When folded, it was an ordinary monoblock “dialer”. However, as soon as the keyboard was folded back, a huge touch screen appeared before the surprised user’s gaze. Of course, monochrome. Interestingly, even when closed, the screen was used to control the device - when pressing buttons on the numeric keypad, they simply touched the corresponding zone on the display.

In addition to the high price of ten times the salary of the average Belarusian, the Ericsson R380 had one more drawback. Despite the availability of Symbian, third-party programs could not be installed on the phone. However, this did not stop him from becoming the founder of a whole galaxy of popular smartphones, including the rather successful P800.

7. Siemens SX45. Release date: 2002

A niche product that could not compete on equal terms with top models from Sony Ericsson, but still left its mark on history. In order to have time to join the emerging smartphone race, Siemens did not look for complicated ways and simply took an existing pocket computer - the Casio Cassiopea E125 - as the basis for its brainchild, adding a GSM module to it.

It was one of the rare devices that ran on the new mobile OS - the first Windows versions Mobile called Pocket PC 2000. A significant drawback of Siemens' haste was that the device was not equipped with a microphone, and the speaker remained at the bottom, like in a PDA. Thus, to make calls using the SX45, a headset was a must.

From the point of view of consumer properties, the device was an unsuccessful model. However, it must be admitted that he actually gave a start to life for the young operating system from Microsoft.

6. Palm Treo. Release date: 2002

Communicators running Palm OS began to appear even before Treo due to the fact that Palm was actively selling its platform to other manufacturers. However, it was the Treo line that ultimately became the epitome of the now defunct mobile OS.

One of the first such devices was the Treo 180 model. Initially, Handspring was its manufacturer, but after the merger with Palm, the latter’s brand became more associated with the Treo series. Equipped with a touch screen with 16 shades of gray, the communicator was distinguished by the presence of a physical QWERTY keyboard covered with a flip cover.

At the same time as the Treo 180, a modification of the Treo 180g was available for sale, in which the touch screen was accompanied not by a keyboard, but by a field for recognizing handwritten text and symbols.

5. Philips 550/755. Release date: 2004

If touchscreen smartphones and PDAs were no longer a rarity in the early 2000s, then finding a regular phone with such functionality was problematic (remember that initially the iPhone was still a phone, not a smartphone). Philips tried to change the current state of affairs.

The touch display here was very small, but still touchable. Using the stylus, you could navigate through the menu, sign pictures, and draw something. There was also a small, but still real, working on-screen keyboard.

Unfortunately, the controls were poorly thought out and not fully adapted to the stylus. In addition, the impression was spoiled by the slow interface. An attempt to make it relatively inexpensive touch phone was not bad, but the result was more suitable for short-term pampering.

4. Neonode N1. Release date: 2004

The end of 2004 was marked by the release of the long-awaited Neonode N1/N1m. Haven’t even heard of such a device and is this the first time you’ve seen such a manufacturer? But in 2001-2002, a small Swedish company, which employed only three dozen people, made a lot of noise by promising to release a revolutionary mobile phone with controls that were completely finger-oriented.

Perhaps Neonode could have become an analogue of Apple in the early 2000s and revolutionized the industry five years before the iPhone, but this did not happen. Why? There are many reasons, and one of them is the constant postponement of the release of N1 for several years.

And yet, Neonode N1, together with the subsequent modification N1m, turned out to be an extremely interesting product. The length and width of the phone was not much larger than a bank card. The most interesting thing was hidden in the display and control system. Along the edges of the tiny 2.2-inch screen were installed 17 infrared sensors. When a finger touched the display, certain rays overlapped in the corresponding place and a “press” was recorded. Control was gesture-based. For example, to confirm an action you had to swipe your finger from left to right, and to cancel - on the contrary, from right to left. An unprecedented breakthrough for that time!

The device ran on a fairly stripped-down version of Windows, so it was a stretch to consider it a smartphone. Be that as it may, the device sold very poorly, and the Neonode N1 was soon discontinued. Neonode N2, released a few years later, no longer had a place on the market.

3. Nokia 7710. Release date: 2005

The Finns have been preparing their first multimedia “harvester” with touch input for a very long time. In 2003, the Nokia 7700 model was announced, but due to numerous problems associated with the implementation of touchscreen control, the device never went on wide sale. Instead, the telecommunications giant launched the Nokia 7710 in 2005.

The display of the new product was oriented for horizontal use. Since the screen technology was resistive, it was difficult to use the device without a stylus. Thanks to the large virtual buttons, it was only convenient to dial a phone number with your finger.

Unfortunately, the Nokia 7710 was quite slow, lacking performance even in the simplest situations. This Symbian smartphone was the first and last device running on the Series 90 platform. Compatibility with popular platforms was practically zero, finding applications for the model was extremely difficult. The first pancake, as they say, came out lumpy. And yet, it was with him that Nokia entered the era of touchscreen phones.

2. ASUS P525. Release date: 2006

The first half of the 2000s saw the rise of smartphones running Windows Mobile. A huge number of manufacturers and models, prices for every budget, design for the most demanding taste. The mobile platform from Microsoft then played the role of the current Android and was installed on the phone of every advanced user.

One of the most prominent representatives of WM communicators was ASUS P525. Very stylish, with a metallic finish, a stylus and a hardware keyboard, it seemed like the ultimate dream. Which, however, were broken by numerous “glitches” characteristic of the first batches of the device. The device was updated for a long time and persistently, “finished”, repaired, improved and seemed to make it the best communicator on Windows Mobile...

But it was too late. New technologies loomed on the horizon, among which there was no place for outdated resistive displays and physical keyboards. The year 2007 was approaching, forcing the entire cell phone industry to change.

1. LG Prada. Release date: 2007

And here it is - the world's first mobile phone with a capacitive touch screen. After an almost simultaneous announcement with the iPhone in January 2007, the Korean company rushed into action and was the first to put its device on sale, a month ahead of its Apple competitor.

The “filling” and functionality of Prada were nothing outstanding. But the chic design and huge 3-inch display, which you could lightly poke with your fingers, did not leave anyone indifferent.

Despite the fact that Prada came out first, time has shown that it is not able to withstand the battle with the “Apple” new product. In a year and a half, LG sold only a million copies of the smartphone, while Apple sold more than six million iPhones in just a year.

Over the next nine years, the mobile device market has changed beyond recognition. Feature phones have almost disappeared, and if they remember Windows Mobile and Symbian, it is only in a nostalgic way, as in this article. I wonder if anyone else in nine years will still remember iOS or Android?