MyOrigo MyDevice

Year: 2002
Prototype level: Cancelled
Codename: N/A

Overview

The MyOrigo MyDevice was an exceptionally early smartphone prototype developed in Finland in 2002. Conceived by Johannes Väänänen and his team, it combined a large 176 × 320 colour touchscreen with a finger-operated interface, web browsing, email, downloadable applications, a VGA camera and GPRS connectivity. Rather than relying on a stylus, the interface used gestures and swiping, while the phone could automatically switch between portrait and landscape orientation and use its motion sensors for navigation and scrolling. 

The MyDevice was built around Tao Group’s Intent software platform and an Intel StrongARM processor. MyOrigo demonstrated the working prototype to major phone manufacturers, including Nokia, and later showed it to Apple in 2002, where Steve Jobs reportedly tried the device. Despite the technology being remarkably advanced for its time, MyOrigo was unable to secure a commercial partner and the phone was never released.