Innovation ahead of its time
Before the world hailed the iPhone, and long after IBM’s Simon faded into obscurity, there was Odin — a visionary smartphone prototype that quietly redefined what mobile technology could be.
Launched as a joint venture between Motorola and Psion in 2000–2001, the Odin Smartphone was never sold to the public — but it should have been. It was the first fully functional, full-colour, wireless touchscreen smartphone that bore all the hallmarks of today’s mobile experience, years before the mainstream was ready.
What set Odin apart wasn’t just its hardware. It was the ecosystem-thinking behind it:
- It had Word, Sheet, Location, Audio, Voice, and Apps — years before App Stores existed.
- It ran over-the-air sync using SyncML, an early vision of cloud storage — the first cloud solution for smartphones.
- It included Airplane Mode, the first-known design concept for a mobile radio shutoff switch — to meet aviation standards before smartphones even took off.
- It featured location-aware services, originally developed and configured by Rob Lowe at Motorola and shown live at Cannes in 2000, demonstrating untethered GPRS with live server infrastructure — a true precursor to mobile internet as we know it.
Where IBM Simon (1994) was more digital PDA with calling features, and the iPhone (2007) perfected design and App delivery, Odin combined them first — and in a way that influenced what came next.
This wasn’t a concept sketch. Odin was real. It connected live. It booted in seconds.
And the full development notes — over 115 pages handwritten in 2000 by Programme Director Rob Lowe — survived.
Now, many years later, the Odin Smartphone is stepping into the spotlight — not as a relic, but as the first truly modern smartphone, unrecognised until now. The Odin Smartphone notes have been acquired by the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park and are part of their historic display of computing and computing artefacts.
Feature by Feature Comparison
IBM Simon, Odin Smartphone, iPhone 1
Summary:
- Odin matched or beat both devices on 16 of 17 core features — in 2000.
- Invented SyncML and Airplane Mode before they were known names.
- Live mobile internet with location-based services in 2000 — years ahead.
- The handwritten notes proving this were preserved and are now held by Bletchley Park.