Springboard: the secret history of the first real smartphone (Full Documentary)

What was your first smartphone?

This was incredibly well done and really enjoyable.

If I can be honest, I was shocked when I realized this was from The Verge. This is an excellent little documentary.

I wrote PalmOS software, back in the day. A Handspring Visor Deluxe was my preferred device of choice; 8MB of storage was plenty for non-audio-visual content. I still have the 8MB CompactFlash card I used for backup from those days; dented, with label peeled off. In fact, I wrote the file management software for one of the third-party Springboard CF card adapters (FileCaddy), and backup software (VFS QuickBack), amongst others. Handspring introduced me to embedded systems development. Kopsis Engineering (manufacturer of that CF adapter) gave me my first real commercial private codebase → open source project. And I will forever be grateful. Thank you for this retrospective.

Had a Visor. It was revolutionary. Treo being mainly a Sprint device crippled it in my hometown from day one. These folks at Handspring, the folks at RIM doing the BlackBerry, various others — all had pieces of the puzzle figured out. iPhone 1 was half baked, but as pointed out — it had the other piece, the things learned making the iPod and the media platform. A very interesting time in tech. Nicely done.

I love when credit is given where credit is due. Certainly Steve Jobs was a singular force at the crossroads of technology and the way we interact with it, but even those we hail as geniuses stand on the shoulders of pioneers who came before. Great video and tribute to some of the unsung heroes behind one of the most significant products in history.

I would love to see more of these series from you guys. I imagine a great postmortem on Web OS, a parallel story on Blackberry/RIM, a completely different story on Nokia, a deep dive on the 7 years that the Sidekick was a thing.

I shared an eighth grade chemistry class with Donna and knew at the time, here is the smartest person I have ever met, but without the ego, I wonder what she will achieve later in life? That was 1969-70 at humble Fairplain Jr H.S. in Michigan. Found years later Donna and partners had just left PDA titan Palm Pilot to found Handspring, but mergers and acquisitions later Handspring was put asunder. Thanks for this mini-doc that has brought this history together for me. Fascinating!

I had a Treo 600. I actually went to a launch event in NYC held for the device. As an industry professional they offered me a device to try for 180 days and then I purchased it for $250 from them. I loved it.

Great job, Dieter, as always. One point ... Apple did not have the leverage with the carriers that you think in terms of bringing them iTunes customers. Remember, they originally had to go with Cingular because no other carrier would capitulate to Jobs' demands. Cingular, being an upstart, was the only one willing. AT&T then bought Cingular, becoming the only iPhone carrier at launch, but not by their choice, really; AT&T originally turned down being the carrier for the iPhone. We think of Apple today as this dominant, undeniable force. But back then, it was anything but a sure thing, from the carrier point of view. Full Disclosure: I used to work for both Cingular and AT&T Wireless.

I lived my youth in the 90s and seeing those people the age of my parents, thinking they were trying to invent stuff we barely have since literally yesterday is crazy. They were so far out and everybody doubted them but today we have to say thank you. And to see many have the same rebuttal about new technologies getting worked on today just amaze me.

I had a handspring visor in Junior high (2001-2003) and was one of the few in that age group to have a PDA, a friend of mine had one, we used to play games and beam messages to each other over infra red in study hall. Excellent video. Handspring really was a cornerstone.

I like how the tone of this is almost like a time capsule explaining things to future generations. There’s something really cool about it. It also reminded me that I actually had one of these things (and had no idea what to do with it)!

This was one of the best tech documentaries I've seen in the past few years. Terrific job, thank you for creating this!

I was one of "the few" who bought a Handspring Visor back in the day. I was a working student at the time, it really was a great device.

I would still put the Visor in the top 5 best devices I've owned. It was so versatile and usable, and the graffiti was very efficient. Mine is still in my desk drawer, and when I fire it up, still works like it did the day I bought it. Great to see Handspring get some respect.

The Verge killing it with more great content. I am so here for this deep dives into concepts and ideas. I love it! The Verge has become one of my favorite channels. This documentary was incredible. It was made with so much passion and love for the products, ideas, and the people involved. Ahead of their time for sure, and the spotlight was stolen by Apple. But I am very glad to see the people who made innovation happen get the credit. What I wild tech would we live in now. All thanks to the wonderful group of friends!

Beautiful Doc! I appreciated the research and attention to details that went into this.

Thank you! this was lovely! I still have handspring, treo and a couple of modules, including one that still has an audio recording in its NVRAM of my nephew when he was a baby. What a heartbreak to see how these smart people weren't quite rewarded for their visionaryness (if that's a word) but it's really cool you captured this moment in history in amber. Thank you!

This was awesome. I was a rabid Palm user. I had 4 versions and still have them in my tech drawer. I always wanted a Treo, but by the time they came out, I just couldn't swing it. As much as I love my current smartphone, I miss the Palms. They were so simple to use but absolutely perfect in so many ways. Thank you for this great look back!