1977 to 1979 - The first two versions of IP are developed.
1980s - The first tablet computer is introduced. Litton Data Systems builds a five-pound 'handheld terminal unit' designed for use by soldiers in battle, and linked by a digital radio connection to a 35-pound 'luggable'-style server.
1980 - Combined with advances in core calculator technology and increasing user demands for programmability, the 'handheld computer' product category is born.
1980 - The first generation of handheld computers is introduced.
1980 - The first fully-automatic cellular networks are introduced.
1981 - The term 'laptop' is born.
1981 - The first commercially available portable computer, the Osborne 1, is launched.
1982 - Arguably the first true laptop, the GRiD Compass 1101, designed by Bill Moggridge, is introduced. Enclosed in a magnesium case, it sports the now familiar clamshell design, in which the flat display folds shut against the keyboard.
1984 - The fifth generation of handheld computers is finally hand-sized.
1985 - The Internet is a well-established technology supporting a wide community of researchers and developers.
1989 - The term 'notebook' computer is coined, used to differentiate smaller devices such as the NEC UltraLite and Compaq LTE series, which were, in contrast to previous laptops, the approximate size of an A4 piece of paper.
1989 - The first commercially available tablet-type computer, the GRiDPad from GRiD Systems, is released in September. Its operating system is based on MS-DOS.
1990s - Second generation (2G) mobile phone systems such as GSM, IS-136 (TDMA), iDEN and IS-95 (CDMA) begin to emerge.
1990 - Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau, working at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), jointly propose to create a hypertext system (HTTP and HTML) accessible via browsers, which will form the basis of the World Wide Web.
1990 - The first digital cellular phone call is made in the United States.
1990 - The first bulky models of the Sony PalmTop are made available.
1990 - Paul Mercer devises Swatch, also known as Pocket Mac.
1991 - The first GSM network opens in Europe.
1992 - The term 'personal data assistant' is coined by then Apple Computer CEO John Sculley at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, referring to the Apple Newton.
1993 - The first commercialised tablet computer systems becomes available to the consumer market - the IBM ThinkPad 750p and 360p.
1994 - IBM builds the Simon smartphone for BellSouth.
1995 - A small company called Vocaltec releases the first Internet phone software. This software was designed to run on a home PC and, much like the PC phones used today, it utilised sound cards, microphones and speakers. The software was called 'Internet Phone' and used the H.323 protocol instead of the SIP protocol that is more prevalent today.
1996 - The first incarnation of the Palm comes onto the scene.
1998 - A few small companies are able to offer PC to phone service.
1998 - VOIP traffic represents approximately 1% of all voice traffic in the US.
1999 - Apple Computer, using Lucent Technologies' Orinoco (formerly WaveLAN) equipment, becomes the first operating system maker to include support for WiFi, which it calls AirPort.
1999 - The IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards is established by the IEEE Standards Board.
1999 - The BlackBerry, a wireless handheld device which supports push e-mail, mobile telephony, text messaging, Internet faxing, Web browsing and other wireless information services, is introduced.
2000 - The first GPRS phone terminals are seen.
2000 - VOIP traffic accounts for more than 3% of all voice traffic.
2001 - Broadband2 wireless coverage allowing wireless access from cars is introduced.
2001 - The WiMax Forum is created to promote conformance and interoperability of the IEEE 802.16 standard, officially known as WirelessMAN.
2001 - Home broadband enters mainstream usage and begins growing at a faster rate than Internet dial-up services.
2002 - The WiFi Alliance announces WPA (WiFi Protected Access) as an interim solution for link-layer security based on the work in progress at the IEEE 802.11i task group.
2003 - Skype introduces a free peer-to-peer (P2P) VOIP telephony service.
2003 - Italian alternative operator FastWeb, which started offering video services over its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network in 2001, introduces a TV-over-DSL service.
2004 - A Bill is introduced in the US House and Senate that claims to protect VOIP technology from regulation. The parallel Bills, both dubbed The VOIP Regulatory Freedom Act of 2004, are intended to foster the evolution of the technology within the US telecoms industry.
Sources: The History and Development of the Internet: a Timeline, Rhonda Davila. A Brief History of the Internet, Barry M Leiner, Vinton G Cerf, David D Clark, Robert E Kahn, Leonard Kleinrock, Daniel C Lynch, Jon Postel, Larry G Roberts, Stephen Wolff. Wikipedia. Keith Lynch's timeline of net related terms and concepts. Hobbes' Internet Timeline. International Telecommunications Union. Ezine. VOIP Dealer. Network world. GSM Association. Which VOIP. The computer museum.
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