The world’s first ever smartphone celebrates 20th anniversary

On Saturday 16th August 2014 the world’s first ever smartphone, the IBM Simon celebrated the 20th anniversary of its release to the public way back in in 1994. The London’s Science Museum, has added a display in their new ‘Information Age’ gallery, to commemorate the 20th year since it was released.

The gallery’s overseer Charlotte Connelly explained “The Simon wasn’t called a smartphone back then, but it had a lot of the features we see today. It had a calendar, it could take notes and send emails and messages and combined all of this with a cell phone.” The IBM Simon was only released in the United States of America and only had network coverage in 15 states, so there was no need for any translation services because it didn’t penetrate most local states in America let alone international markets.

The IBM Simon was the first of its kind to combine computing features and mobile phone technology. Although it was ahead of its time in terms of technology and innovation, it was a far cry from what we are used to in today’s modern smartphones dominated by the Apple’s iPhone, the Samsung Galaxy range and HTC. In terms of sheer size and weight, the comparisons between the IBM Simon and say the Samsung Galaxy S4 is like comparing an elephant to a mouse and not the type of mouse with big ears and white gloves that you might find in Disneyland either!

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Modern day smartphone – Samsung Galaxy S4

With the IMB Simon weighing a whopping, not so pocket friendly 500g (1.1lbs) compared to the Samsung’s featherlike 130 g (0.3lbs) and a battery life of just one hour compared to the S4’s 17 hour talk time battery life. With the tiny battery life coupled with the fact that it weighs nearly as much as a small child and that hefty black box look, it is no wonder the IBM Simon wasn’t very successful.

As Charlotte Connelly describes “It looks like a grey block but it’s not as big as you’d imagine,” she said. “It had a stylus and a green LCD screen, which is similar in size to the iPhone 4. In fact, it’s not a bad looking thing.”

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IBM Simon with Stylus

Although attracting members of the business community because of the gap in the market for a portable device with the capabilities of a computer and despite having some impressive software applications such as the ability to link up to a fax machine. The IBM Simon never made an impact and eventually disappeared into the abyss just two years after it was released with just 50,000 sales probably owing to its substantial price tag and the fact it was truly ahead of its time. Ms Connelly says “It only had an hour’s battery, it was $899 and there was no mobile internet at the time. So it wasn’t very successful,” said Ms Connelly.

Now 20 years later the IBM Simon is finally being celebrated and appreciated, which often seems to be the way with a lot of retro technology. The IBM Simon will be displayed in October along with more than 800 other objects of retro technology highlighting how much technology has evolved in the last 200 years. Without innovative technology such as the IBM Simon the world would have never become so globalised and connected as it is now, there would be many more barriers in international relations and a lot of things would get lost in translation. Ms Connelly describes the exhibition as a reminder of a different time. “It does remind us of that time. I definitely enjoy getting away from things and deliberately disconnecting myself, there’s something quite nice about that.”

How doing business in Africa is changing; 3 things to consider

The African continent has for many years attracted interest and investment from all over the world. With its raw materials ranging from gold, oil, copper, diamonds to its natural resources and agriculture the continent has for decades continued to be a goldmine for international investments. When it comes to setting up a business in Africa it is imperative to be aware of the changing factors that influence how business is conducted ranging from government policy, culture, languages, technology and innovation.

Growth of internet usage

The internet has continued to be used broadly on the African continent with an estimated 170+ million people using the internet to communicate, browse and shop. Many African nations are adapting to the rise in internet demand with Nigeria alone being the most prominent achieving nearly 50% of Africa’s internet usage according to Internet World Stats. This figure is likely to continue to rise as more and more technology is being invested with corporations such as Google planning to increase internet coverage in the region. ‘oAfrica’ states that the rate of “annual household Internet access growth stands at 27%”. This is clearly a positive motivator for people looking to set up business in the retail sector and marketing sector amongst many. This also opens doors for running e-businesses as the internet reach continues to grow. Some may argue that gone are the days of setting up a market store as an investment and more sophisticated business ideas such as estate agents are taking shape and taking advantage of the wider potential customer reach which can be achieved.

africa-business-greenIncreased ‘middle class’ population

Despite the flooding news stories covering corruption and poverty which seem to dominate African headlines internationally, there is an increasing growth of a so called ‘African middle class’ society. Some sources have described this as the fastest growing middle class in the world. With this comes many benefits for businesses to specifically target this group. With businesses more prominent in the west selling luxurious goods or providing services more targeted to middle class people this is a great opportunity to take their ventures to a global audience in particular Africa. Although it can be argued that it is not yet a big enough market to target it certainly is looking to be in the near future. For example in some affluent districts in Africa where prices of houses can match that of western countries.

images africaGovernment regulations and politicsafrica-business-green

Although corruption is a huge debatable factor in many African countries as an African I have seen a much more positive approach to politics affecting Africans. The number of African academics is increasing with many acquiring oversees education and returning to their mother countries with a different mind-set and some western influence on politics which has generated positive debates about the futures of corruption.

In order to be successful in African countries your business idea must be transparent and for a cause. It must be clear as to how your business will benefit your region and society be it creating employment or for a more social cause. Being successful in Africa includes being in tune with government operations and regulations, languages and cultures. When you do so governments are more likely to back your ideas which makes it easier to set up and grow your business.

One thing to understand is that Africa is a huge continent and each country differs and should be carefully researched before deciding to start doing business. Africa is its own market and money alone should not be the utmost factor of investment in Africa. Good innovative ideas will continue to make huge impacts on the people and the continent as a whole and such businesses are likely to experience positive growth in the coming years.