Smart phones can be noted by several features which include, but are not limited to, touchscreen, operating system, and tethered modem capabilities on top of the default phone characteristics. A full-fledged email support seems to be a characteristic key defining feature found in all existing and announced smartphones as of 2007.[2].

Smartphone features tend to include Internet access, e-mail access, scheduling software, built-in camera, contact management, accelerometers and some navigation software as well as occasionally the ability to read business documents in a variety of formats such as PDF and Microsoft Office.

The first smartphone was called Simon designed by IBM in 1992 and shown as a concept product that year at COMDEX, the computer industry trade show held in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was released to the public in 1993 and sold by BellSouth. Besides a mobile phone, it also contained a calendar, address book, world clock, calculator, note pad, e-mail, send and receive FAX, and games. It had no physical buttons to dial with. Instead customers used a touch-screen to select phone numbers with a finger or create facsimiles and memos with an optional stylus. Text was entered with a unique on-screen "predictive" keyboard. By today's standards, the Simon would be a fairly low-end mobile phone.

The Nokia 9000, released in 1996, was marketed as a Communicator, but was arguably the first in a line of smartphones. The Ericsson R380 was sold as a 'smartphone'[3] but could not run native 3rd party applications. Although the Nokia 9210 was arguably the first true smartphone with an open operating system, Nokia continued to refer to it as a Communicator.

Although the Nokia 7650, announced in 2001, was referred to as a 'smart phone' in the media[4], and is now called a 'smartphone' on the Nokia support site[5], the press release referred to it as an 'imaging phone'[6]. The term gained further credence in 2002 when Microsoft announced its mobile phone OS would thenceforth be known as "Microsoft Windows Powered Smartphone 2002"[7].

Out of 1 billion camera phones to be shipped in 2008, Smartphones, the higher end of the market with full email support, will represent about 10% of the market or about 100 million units[citation needed].

The most common operating systems (OS) used in smartphones are:
Symbian OS from Symbian Ltd. (72.8% Market Share)
Symbian has the largest share in most markets worldwide, but lags other companies in the relatively small but highly visible North American market[8]. This matches the success of its largest shareholder[9] and customer, Nokia, in all markets except Japan. Nokia itself enjoys 44.5% of the smartphone market[10]. In Japan Symbian is strong due to a relationship with NTT DoCoMo, with only one of the 44 Symbian handsets released in Japan coming from Nokia[11]. It is used by all the major handset manufacturers, including Motorola, Samsung, LG, and BenQ[12]. It has received some adverse press attention due to virus threats (actually trojan horses)[13].
Linux operating system (16.7% Market Share)
Linux is strongest in China where it is used by Motorola[14], and in Japan, used by DoCoMo[15]. Rather than being a platform in its own right, Linux is used as a basis for a number of different platforms developed by several vendors, including Motorola and TrollTech, which are mostly incompatible[16][17]. PalmSource (now Access) is moving towards an interface running on Linux[18]. Another platform based on Linux is being developed by Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Samsung, and Vodafone[19].
Windows Mobile from Microsoft (5.6% Market Share)
Windows CE operating system along with Windows Mobile middleware are widely spread in Asia. The two improved variants of this operating system, Windows Mobile Crossbow and Windows Mobile Photon will be released in second half of 2007 and in the first half of 2008 respectively. The first one will support Exchange Server 2007, Outlook 2007, and Windows Vista. The HTML support will assure more fonts and graphics. The interface will resemble Microsoft Exchange Server (used in business operations). Some of the system's vulnerable points are low customization and high cost if compared to Linux.
RIM BlackBerry operating system (2.8% Market Share)
This OS is focused on easy operation and was originally designed for business. Recently it has seen a surge in third party applications and has been improved to offer full multimedia support.
Palm OS developed by PalmSource (now a subsidiary of ACCESS). (1.8% Market Share)
PalmSource traditionally used its own platform developed by Palm Inc. Access Linux Platform (ALP) is an improvement that is planned to be launched in the first half of 2007. It will use technical specifications from the Linux Phone Standards Forum. The Access Linux Platform will include an emulation layer to support applications developed for Palm-based devices.

Market Share data from Canalys worldwide publishment of actual sales numbers for smartphones for Q3 2006 [20].

Apple has announced its intention to use a version of its Mac OS X operating system for the forthcoming iPhone. Two versions of Mac OS X are currently in planning process: Mac OS X Tiger and Mac OS X Leopard (coming up, October 2007). The first is already in use and it supports HTML e-mail, Web browsing, and applications identical to ones on Mac computers (widgets, Safari, calendar, text messaging, notes, and address book). Mac OS X Leopard will include automated backup and restore, do-it-yourself widgets, and advanced search. Mac OS X distinguishes by its high level of stability. However there are registered incompatibilities among OS variants.[citation needed]. It is debatable whether iPhone really can be considered a smartphone, since no third party programs can be installed, therefore making it having less of a "personal computer like functionality". The CEO of Apple, in conjunction to this, has said: "You don’t want your phone to be like a PC." [21]. However, at the recent "D5: All Things Digital" Conference, Steve Jobs mentioned openness as a "security issue, but that Apple is working to find a way to allow developers to build applications for it." [22]

Dual-OS handsets have also been announced, such as the FIC Neo1973 which may run OpenMoko or Windows Mobile.

TNS Infratest (Germany) carried out a survey which included 263 potential byers. All of them planned to purchase a smartphone within the next six months. The survey showed that 49% expressed no preference as to their smartphone OS. 26% preferred Windows Mobile, 11% Symbian and 10% Palm OS[23].

Apple iPhone[1] Mac OS X 81cc 135g 320x480 Soft 2mp Accelerometer
HTC P3300[2] Windows Mobile 105cc 130g 240x320 Soft 2mp GPS
Motorola RIZR Z8[3] Symbian OS 77cc 112g 240x320 Numeric with T9 2mp
Motorola Q[4] Windows Mobile 89cc 115g 320x240 Full QWERTY 1.3mp GPS
Nokia 5500 Sport[5] Symbian OS 87cc 103g 208x208 Numeric with T9 2mp Accelerometer, heart rate features
Nokia E61i[6] Symbian OS 114cc 150g 320x240 Full Qwerty 2mp
Nokia E70[7] Symbian OS 117 x 53 x 22 mm 127g 352x416 Full Qwerty when flipped open, Numeric with T9 when closed 2mp
Nokia E90 Communicator[8] Symbian OS 150cc 210g 800x352 & 240x320 Full Qwerty and Numeric with T9 3.2mp GPS
Nokia N95[9] Symbian OS 110cc 120g 240x320 Numeric with T9, Multimedia 5mp GPS
Palm Treo 700p[10] Palm OS 5 151cc 180g 320x320 Full Qwerty 1.3mp
RIM BlackBerry Pearl[11] Blackberry OS 77cc 90g 240x260 Numeric with SureType 1.3mp
RIM BlackBerry 8700c[12] Blackberry OS 149cc 134g Full Qwerty No
RIM BlackBerry 8800[13] Blackberry OS 105cc 134g Full Qwerty No
Samsung SGH-i607 BlackJack[14] Windows Mobile 76cc 106g 320x240 Full Qwerty 1.3mp
Sony Ericsson P990[15] Symbian OS 162cc 150g 240x320 Full Qwerty, Numeric with T9, Soft 2mp
Sony Ericsson W950i[16] Symbian OS 86cc 112g 240x320 Numeric with T9, Soft No

Gigabyte
Group Sense PDA
Hewlett-Packard
High Tech Computer (HTC)
I-mate
Kyocera
Mio Technology
Motorola
Nokia
Palm Inc
Research in Motion Limited (RIM)
Samsung Electronics
Sony Ericsson

[edit]
See also
List of smartphones
Danger Hiptop
BlackBerry
Palm OS
Symbian OS
Windows Mobile
S60 platform
Microbrowser
Camera phone
Videophone
UIQ
Information appliance
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