Smartphones are the world’s most important gadget and one of history’s most significant technologies. The Smartphone History Project tells the stories behind these fascinating devices by interviewing the people directly involved in their development.

Most smartphone development takes place in utter secrecy because the smartphone industry is brutally competitive. As a result, smartphone users generally aren’t aware who made their phones or the incredible amount of work involved. The Smartphone History Project aims to capture and share these backstories to illuminate how smartphones are designed/manufactured/marketed and to recognize the people who make these wonder-gadgets possible.

As the Project’s name indicates, the goal is to preserve smartphone stories for posterity, so the public can learn firsthand about phones that may no longer be on sale or even in use. Stories about current smartphones are also eligible for inclusion. The Smartphone History Project covers the entire smartphone era, from 1994 to today.


If you played an integral role in the development of a flagship smartphone and would like to contribute your story to the Project, please get in touch via the Contact page.


This site is the creation of Elizabeth Woyke, a technology reporter who has written about the smartphone industry since 2007.