FIRST SMARTPHONE HISTORY

IBM debuted a prototype device, code named "Angler," 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. COMDEX show attendees and the press showed notable interest in the device. The day after Angler's debut, USA Today featured a photo on the front page of the Money section showing Frank Canova, Angler's architect, holding the prototype.

BellSouth executives gave the finished product 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. BellSouth Cellular initially offered the Simon throughout its 15 state service area for US$899 with a two-year service contract or US$1099 without a contract. Later in the product's life, BellSouth Cellular reduced the price to US$599 with a two-year contract.

BellSouth Cellular sold approximately 50,000 units during the product's six months on the market.

Although the term "smartphone" was not coined until 1997, because of Simon's features and capabilities, it can be referred to as the first smartphone.

The IBM Simon Personal Communicator included a custom-fit, protective, leather cover
Features

In addition to its ability to make and receive cellular phone calls, Simon was also able to send and receive faxes, e-mails and cellular pages. Simon featured many applications including an address book, calendar, appointment scheduler, calculator, world time clock, electronic note pad, handwritten annotations and standard and predictive stylus input screen keyboards.

Accessories
Each Simon was shipped with a charging base station, two nickel-cadmium batteries and a protective leather cover.

Operating system and applications
The Simon used the file system from Datalight ROM-DOS along with file compression from Stacker. IBM created a unique touch-screen user interface for Simon; no DOS prompt existed. This user interface software layer for Simon was known as the Navigator.

The Simon could be upgraded to run third party applications either by inserting a PCMCIA card or by downloading an application to the phone's internal memory.

Atlanta, Georgia-based PDA Dimensions developed "DispatchIt", the only aftermarket, third-party application developed for Simon. It was an early predecessor to "Remote Desktop" software. The DispatchIt application costs were US$2,999 for the host PC software and US$299 for each Simon software client.

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EBOLA VIRUS

Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola
haemorrhagic fever) is a severe, often fatal illness,
with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. It is one of the
world’s most virulent diseases.The infection is
transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body
fluids and tissues of infected animals or people.
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive
care.

During an outbreak, those at higher risk of
infection are health workers, family members and
others in close contact with sick people and
deceased patients.

Ebola virus disease outbreaks can devastate
families and communities, but the infection can be
controlled through the use of recommended
protective measures in clinics and hospitals, at
community gatherings, or at home.

Infection and transmission

In Africa, fruit bats are believed to be the natural
hosts of Ebola virus. The virus is transmitted from
wildlife to people through contact with infected
fruit bats, or through intermediate hosts, such as
monkeys, apes, or pigs that have themselves
become infected through contact with bat saliva or
faeces.
People may then become infected through contact
with infected animals, either in the process of
slaughtering or through consumption of blood,
milk, or raw or undercooked meat.
The virus is then passed from person to person
through direct contact with the blood, secretions or
other bodily fluids of infected persons, or from
contact with contaminated needles or other
equipment in the environment.

Signs and symptoms

EVD, which has a case fatality rate of up to 90%, is a
severe acute viral illness often characterized by the
sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle
pain, headache, nausea and sore throat. This is
followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, impaired kidney
and liver function, and in some cases, both internal
and external bleeding. Laboratory findings
frequently include low white blood cell and platelet
counts and elevated liver enzymes.
The incubation period, the time interval from
infection with the virus to onset of symptoms, is 2
to 21 days. People remain infectious as long as
their blood and secretions contain the virus, a
period that has been reported to be as long as 61
days after onset of illness.

Diagnosis and treatment

When considering the diagnosis of EVD, other,
more common diseases should not be overlooked;
for example, malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis,
cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis,
relapsing fever, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral
haemorrhagic fevers.
Definitive diagnosis of EVD is made through
laboratory testing. Because samples from patients
are a source of infection risk for others, testing is
conducted under maximum biological containment
conditions.
No vaccine is available, nor is there any specific
treatment. Severely ill patients require intensive
supportive care. Patients are frequently dehydrated
and require oral rehydration with solutions
containing electrolytes, or intravenous fluids.

Preventative measures

Raising awareness of the risk factors for infection
and the protective measures that should be taken is
the only way to reduce human infection and
subsequent deaths. Close unprotected physical
contact with Ebola patients should be avoided.
Appropriate use of gloves and personal protective
equipment (including hand hygiene before putting
on, and especially after taking off personal
protective equipment) should be practised when
taking care of ill patients at home. Regular hand
washing is required after visiting patients in
hospital, as well as after taking care of patients at
home.
Almost all transmission of the virus to health-care
workers has been reported when basic infection
control measures have not been observed. Health-
care workers caring for any patient should practice
standard precautions. When caring for patients
with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus infection,
health-care workers should apply, in addition to
standard precautions, other infection control
measures to avoid any exposure to patients’ blood
and body fluids and with possibly contaminated
environments.
Preparation for burial of the bodies of persons who
have died from Ebola virus disease also carries
high risks of transmission of the virus. Those who
have died from the disease should be promptly and
safely buried.

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BODY OF EBOLA VICTIM CREMATED IN LAGOS

The body of the first victim of Ebola Virus Disease
in Nigeria, who died in Lagos on Friday, has been
cremated. Details of the cremation were not
available at press time but Sunday Vanguard
gathered
that the eveny was witnessed by officials of the Lagos
State Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for
Disease Control, NCDC, led by its Project Director,
Professor Abdulsalam Nasidi, among others.
The decision to cremate the body of the victim, it was
further gathered, may not be unconnected with the
deadly nature of the Ebola Virus which is known to be
easily transmissible from human to human during
handling of corpses of victims.
The World Health Organisation recommends that in
communities where there is an outbreak of Ebola,
appropriate containment measures including burial
of the dead should be properly handled.
While stating that people who die from Ebola should
be promptly and safely buried, WHO? Notes that
cremation, which is the application of high
temperature to reduce bodies to basic chemical
components (ashes)? Is ideal for safe disposal of
bodies of persons who die during outbreaks of highly
infectious diseases such as Ebola Virus in order to
minimise further transmission.
In 2013 the Lagos State Government introduced its
Voluntary Cremation Law under which a person may
signify interest to be cremated at death or a
deceased's family members who must attain the age
of 18 years, can decide to have the corpse cremated.
Under the law the state government can also cremate
unclaimed corpses in its mortuaries after a period of
time and the ashes disposed after a 14-day notice
with approval of the Commissioner for Health.

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