Simon Says The Time is Right

No Strings

Simon has already had its share of ups and downs, even before it ever shipped. Following a very successful introduction at Fall COMDEX, 1993 in Las Vegas, IBM and BellSouth later postponed its commercial release citing the need to further test the new technology.

However, coming quickly after the demise and liquidation of EO, BellSouth Cellular Corporation (BSCC) announced that Simon says it’s time to go for it. Starting on August 16th, BSCC made the handheld personal communicator available in its market areas.

As you’ll recall, the Simon is a fully integrated handheld personal communicator that includes a cellular phone, a wireless send and receive fax machine, calendar, appointment scheduler, address book, calculator, notebook and sketch pad, along with wireless electronic mail.

Simon was designed by IBM and includes an LCD screen displaying a graphical interface that permits manipulation using a plastic stylus. The unit also includes a PCMCIA slot to add a paging card, additional memory, or data storage.

BellSouth and IBM used their time during the delay wisely, enhancing several features including the device’s efficiency over the cellular network, improving its wireless fax performance, and optimizing its internal circuitry.

BellSouth plans to select a number of independent software developers to create add-on applications for the Simon, however the company did not release the names of any partners. While the device will originally be available in BSCC markets, the company plans to make Simon available through a number of other channels by the end of September.

BellSouth Cellular Corp.
500 Northpark Town Center
Atlanta, GA 30328
(404) 604-6493
1-800-Simon Says (no kidding!)