Simon

1. New Testament

a. a relative of Jesus, who may have been identical with Simon Zelotes (Matthew 13:55)

b. a Christian of Joppa with whom Peter stayed (Acts of the Apostles 9:43)

2. John (Allsebrook), 1st Viscount Simon. 1873--1954, British statesman and lawyer. He was Liberal home secretary (1915--16) and, as a leader of the National Liberals, foreign secretary (1931--35), home secretary (1935--37), Chancellor of the Exchequer (1937--40), Lord Chancellor (1940--45)

3. (Marvin) Neil. born 1927, US dramatist and librettist, whose plays include Barefoot in the Park (1963), California Suite (1976), Biloxi Blues (1985), Lost in Yonkers (1990), and London Suite (1995): many have been made into films

4. Paul. born 1942, US pop singer and songwriter. His albums include: with Art Garfunkel (born 1941), The Sounds of Silence (1966), and Bridge over Troubled Water (1970); and, solo, Graceland (1986), The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), and You're The One (2000)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

personal communicator

A concept for a handheld mobile device that was co-created by Toronto engineer Robert J. Fraser in 1991. The personal communicator was conceived to provide always-on, wireless connectivity to a nationwide network for information retrieval and transactions as well as calendar synchronization, messaging and email. Contacts and to-do lists were also envisioned.

Humble Beginnings
At least two devices with the personal communicator moniker appeared within a couple years. AT&T offered the EO in 1993, and IBM, in conjunction with BellSouth, introduced the Simon in 1994. Apple's Newton was introduced in the same time frame, but had only a fax/modem and infrared communications. All of these handhelds were underpowered for the tasks at hand and never took off.

An Eventual Reality
The functionality in Fraser's device did materialize a decade later when the Internet became ubiquitous and devices such as the BlackBerry emerged. After the turn of the century, wireless PDAs using cellular networks (true personal communicators) became a reality and eventually evolved into the smartphone. See PDA and smartphone.

A Cellphone Personal Communicator

In 1989, as part of its MicroTAC line, Motorola introduced the Digital Cellular Personal Communicator, which was only a cellphone. See flip phone.

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Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"The other day when he came out from Mass in full uniform, Michael Sidorych..." Simon did not finish, for on the still air he had distinctly caught the music of the hunt with only two or three hounds giving tongue.

Simon sighed and stooped to straighten the leash a young borzoi had entangled; the count too sighed and, noticing the snuffbox in his hand, opened it and took a pinch.

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Simon," announced our page-boy, throwing open the door.

Simon, then, returned from the wedding in a less cheerful frame of mind than she had gone to it.

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Simon made no answer, but gathering himself up as straight as he could, plunged head foremost at his old master, and the two went driving out into the workshop together, plying their hands and feet so briskly that they looked like half-a-dozen, while Miggs and Mrs Varden screamed for twelve.

Watching his time, Simon Tappertit made a cunning show of falling back, staggered unexpectedly forward, brushed past him, opened the door (he knew the trick of that lock well), and darted down the street like a mad dog.

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"Why, yes, I may say so," said Simon, with a hearty laugh.

"Real," said Simon. "There's that Tom, they telled me he was suthin' uncommon.

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Simon managed to say: "A sabre-- yes, I suppose it could."

Simon, that keenly scientific person at once resumed it.

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Father Simon had the curiosity to stay to inform himself what dainties the country justice had to feed on in all his state, which he had the honour to taste of, and which was, I think, a mess of boiled rice, with a great piece of garlic in it, and a little bag filled with green pepper, and another plant which they have there, something like our ginger, but smelling like musk, and tasting like mustard; all this was put together, and a small piece of lean mutton boiled in it, and this was his worship's repast.

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"So did a many," quoth Simon. "I call her to mind now.

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