IBM's prototype device, code named "Angler," was seen on November, 23, 1992 at the COMDEX computer and technology trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The Angler prototype combined a cell phone and PDA into one device, allowing a user to make and receive telephone calls, facsimiles, emails and cellular pages, among other functions.
The finished product was given its final name, "Simon Personal Communicator", before its public debut at the Wireless World Conference in November, 1993. BellSouth Cellular had planned to begin selling Simon in May, 1994, but due to problems with the device's software, the Simon did not become available to consumers until August 16, 1994.
The Simon Personal Communicator the first to include both mobile phone and PDA in one device. Although the term "smartphone" had not been coined at the time of the Simon's release, because of its features and capabilities, the Simon was referred to be the first smartphone.