Given all the hype, you might be forgiven for thinking that with the iPhone,

Apple (1)(introduce) the first smartphone - in other words a phone which also
has some of the features of a computer. But in fact smartphones (2) (be)
around since the nineties.

The first smartphone (3) (be) probably the IBM Simon, which
(4) (go) on sale in 1993 and even (5) (have) a rudimentary
touchscreen. In 2000 the Ericsson first (6) (use) the term 'smartphone' in the
marketing of their R380, which (7) (be built) on an open operating system -
Symbian, which now Nokia (8) (announce) it is dropping in favour of
Windows Phone.

In the same year Nokia (9) (release) the 9210 communicator, also with the
Symbian o.s. and a colour screen. The later communicators (10) (pioneer)
many of the features which (11) (since become) associated with smartphones,
including built-in camera, Wi-Fi and GPS. But these phones (12) (be) very
expensive, and although the clamshell design with its physical keyboard
(13) (be) popular with business executives, to this day it (14) (remain) very
much a niche product.

Then (15) (come) the more consumer-orientated Nokia 95 with 3G, and from
that time Nokia (16) (lead) the smartphone market, in terms of sales, until it
(17) (be eclipsed) by Android in 2011.

But Nokia (18) (not have) the market to themselves. In the early 2000s,
Symbian's old rival Palm (19) (bring) out the Treo range, and until very
recently Blackberry's email oriented devices (20) (dominate) the world of
business mobiles.

When 3G (21) (arrive) in Britain in 2003, the public quickly

(22) (take) up the new service, but experts noticed that they (23) (not seem) to
be so keen to use the special features that 3G (24) (offer), such as video and
internet access.

Since then the smartphone scene (25) (change) completely, of course, with an
estimated 40% of adults in the UK now owning one. It (26) (be) undoubtedly
the arrival of the iPhone which first (27) (alert) people to the real potential of
smartphones, but it (28) (be) the continuing, phenomenal rise of Android that
(29) (bring) the smartphone to a wider market today.

And although earlier Windows phone systems (30) (be) not so popular, their
latest, Windows Phone, (31) (impress) at least some of the experts. And by
ditching Symbian, Nokia (32) (now throw) in their lot with Microsoft.

Meanwhile, the BBC iPlayer (33) (make) watching TV on a computer

increasingly popular, and the iPlayer app for mobiles (34) (be) a great success.
People reading newspapers or surfing the net on their mobiles (35) (become) a
common sight on public transport.

But it's strange to think that the iPhone (36) (only be] with us since 2007, and
that Android only (37) (really start) to make inroads in 2010. It has been quite
a rollercoaster of a ride.

But perhaps the greatest surprise (38) (be) the rise of the tablet. When Steve
Jobs first (39) (announce) the iPad, most of the comments were along the lines
of - 'Yes, it's very pretty, but who's going to use it, and what's it for?' And now everyone wants to
get in on the act. But nobody - as of January 2012 - (40) (yet manage) to
produce that elusive creature - the iPad killer.