Sony Ericsson R380

The Ericsson R380 Smartphone was a GSM mobile phone released by Ericsson Mobile Communications in 2000. It combined the functions of a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA).

It was the first device to be marketed as a 'smartphone'. In December 1999 the magazine Popular Science declared the Ericsson R380 Smartphone to be one of the most important advances in science and technology. It was a ground-breaking device since it was as small and light as a normal mobile phone. It was the first device to use the Symbian OS that had previously only been used in Psion personal organisers.

The display was a black and white touchscreen, partially covered by a flip. For that reason it can be considered the forerunner of the popular P800/P900 series of smartphones. Despite the sophisticated user interface, users could not install their own software on the device.

The phone and the software was developed at Ericsson's lab in Kista, Sweden. The UI was developed at Ericsson's Software Applications Laboratory in Warrington, UK. The UI was built using an in-house developed library called the Ericsson Control Kit (ECK).

The device was delivered in three variants with the most common being the R380s (dual 900/1800 GSM bands), and the rarer R380 World (dual 900/1900 GSM bands). The final variant with minor software and cosmetic upgrades was designated the R380e.