At the start of 2010, 1.2 billion people had regular web access from dedicated internet access devices, such as personal computers, but not including mobile phones. If you include smart mobile phones, two billion people have access to the internet.

he cross-over to mobile phones exceeding personal computer numbers occurred in 2008. In many parts of the developing world, the ratio is as much as 10 mobile phone users to one personal computer user

You do not want to know about car phones. First demonstrated in 1946. Weight nearly 40 kilograms. By 1960, there was an automatic version, half the weight, running vacuum tubes and relays. Not very convenient.

The first handheld mobile cellular phone appeared from Motorola in 1973. It weighed 2 kilogram! Sales were slow. By 1990, only 12 million people had mobile phones.

The first modern 3G cellular network appeared in Japan in 2001. Not long ago at all. However by the end of 2009, mobile cellular subscriptions reached 4.6 billion. Over a billion mobile phones are sold each year.

Smartphones were devised for business, as a combination miniature computer and mobile phone. The first was the IBM Simon in 1993.

The fabulously expensive Nokia 9110 Communicator from 1996 was the first realistic phone computer. Nokia and others acquired Symbian later as an operating system. The Ericsson R380 in 2000 was the first Symbian smartphone. Sony and Ericsson combined to produce many Symbian phones, however Sony dropped Symbian in October 2010, despite Nokia and Symbian still having the largest share of the phone market.

Palm built the Handspring designed Treo 600 in 2003, and this was another landmark, from a company best known for personal digital assistants (PDA). Hewlett Packard bought Palm in 2010 for its latest operating system. However the most influential devices were probably Windows Mobile smartphones, the Microsoft Pocket PC, and wireless email oriented RIM with their BlackBerry.

As this comparison of smartphones shows, there are now many manufacturers and models, with Nokia having a plurality. It seems unlikely that smart phones will all converge on a single model.

In 2009, computer sales were around 305 million, with a 20% increase to 365 million expected in 2010, at a total cost of US$245 billion. Sales of portable computers were 55% of the total in 2009, and 20% of these portables were cheap Intel Atom based netbook devices. The rate of sales of notebook computers is increasing, and is expected to be 70% of the market in 2012. Desktop computers are becoming a small proportion of all computer sales.

In 2009, mobile phone sales were 1.2 billion. In 2010, sales of touchscreen mobile devices are expected to exceed 360 million. By 2013, touchscreen mobile is expected to be 55% of all mobile sales, and over 80% in developed countries.