What was the name of the first smartphone, released by IBM in 1994?

The IBM Simon Personal Communicator was the smartphone released by IBM in 1994.

IBM unveiled an early prototype, code-named Sweetspot, at the COMDEX trade show in November 1992. The commercial device combined a cellular telephone with personal-digital-assistant functions, including a calendar, address book, calculator, notepad, fax capability, email, and a touchscreen interface.

The Simon was publicly announced in 1993 and became available through BellSouth Cellular on August 16, 1994. IBM designed the device, while Mitsubishi Electric manufactured it and BellSouth distributed it in the United States. It used an analog AMPS cellular network and included a stylus-operated 4.5-inch monochrome touchscreen.

Calling Simon the first smartphone is a retrospective description, because the word “smartphone” was not yet used consistently in 1994. Nevertheless, its combination of phone, computing, communications, and touchscreen functions makes IBM Simon the standard answer. It was expensive, had roughly one hour of battery life, and sold about 50,000 units before being discontinued in 1995.