Cybiko

The Cybiko is a line of personal digital assistants and handheld game consoles first released by Cybiko Inc. in 2000. Cybiko Inc. was a startup company founded by David Yang; the eponymous PDA was first test marketed in New York in April 2000 and rolled out nationwide in May 2000. It was designed for teens, featuring its own two-way radio text messaging system. It has over 430 "official" freeware games and applications. It features a rubber QWERTY keyboard. An MP3 player add-on with a SmartMedia card slot was made for the unit as well. Cybikos can communicate with each other up to a maximum range of . Several Cybikos can chat with each other in a wireless chatroom. By the end of 2000, the Cybiko Classic had sold over 500,000 units. The company stopped manufacturing the units after two product versions and a few years on the market.

== History == Cybiko development was initiated in 1998 by Russian entrepreneur David Yang, founder of ABBYY Software House. The concept for the device emerged from social research conducted in six countries, which identified a need for digital communication among youth. The first prototype was completed by October 1998. By the end of 1999, three industrial samples had been produced, and a radio protocol was patented. This protocol allowed up to 3,000 Cybiko devices to form a network without using auxiliary stations. By early 1999, the Moscow-based development team had grown to 40 employees. The Cybiko was designed as a handheld computer for teenagers, combining communication capabilities with entertainment features. It included a QWERTY keyboard, a monochrome display, short-range radio messaging, and support for downloadable applications and games.