Jeff Hawkins
Inventor of the PalmPilot and neuroscientist of intelligence
- Age
- 69 yrs
- Birthday in 208 days
- Works listed
- 3
- Handheld computer, Book
- Honours
- 0
- Awards & distinctions
- Profile views
- 0
- 0 followers
Jeff Hawkins is an American engineer and neuroscientist who invented the PalmPilot, one of the first successful handheld computers, and co-founded Palm Computing and Handspring. He then founded Numenta to study how the brain’s neocortex produces intelligence and wrote On Intelligence and A Thousand Brains.
Biography
Background
Hawkins studied electrical engineering at Cornell and worked at Intel and GRiD Systems, where he designed the GRiDPad tablet. He also studied neuroscience at Berkeley.
PalmPilot
He founded Palm Computing in 1992. Famously carrying a wooden block in his pocket to test the size, he designed the PalmPilot (1996) and its Graffiti handwriting system. It sold millions.
Handspring
In 1998 he and Donna Dubinsky left to found Handspring, whose Visor and Treo led to early smartphones.
Numenta
In 2005 he co-founded Numenta to develop theories of how the neocortex works. His books On Intelligence (2004) and A Thousand Brains (2021) present these ideas.
Timeline
-
1957
Born in Huntington, New York, United States
-
1989
GRiDPad tablet
-
1992
Founds Palm Computing
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1996
PalmPilot launched
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1998
Co-founds Handspring
-
2002
Treo smartphone; founds the Redwood Neuroscience Institute
-
2005
Co-founds Numenta
-
2021
A Thousand Brains
Notable works
-
1996
PalmPilot Handheld computer
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2004
On Intelligence Book
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2021
A Thousand Brains Book
Did you know?
-
1
He carried a block of wood shaped like the PalmPilot to imagine using it.
-
2
Graffiti let users write letters with a stylus in a simplified alphabet.
-
3
He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Connections
Related people
Frequently asked
Who is Jeff Hawkins?
Jeff Hawkins is an American engineer and neuroscientist who invented the PalmPilot, one of the first successful handheld computers, and co-founded Palm Computing and Handspring. He then founded Numenta to study how the brain’s neocortex produces intelligence and wrote On Intelligence and A Thousand Brains.
How old is Jeff Hawkins?
Jeff Hawkins is 69 years old, born on 1 June 1957 in Huntington, New York, United States.
Where is Jeff Hawkins from?
Jeff Hawkins was born in Huntington, New York, United States.
What is Jeff Hawkins known for?
Jeff Hawkins is best known for Founding Palm Computing and Handspring; PalmPilot and Treo; Numenta; On Intelligence.
References
- Jeff Hawkins — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Jeff Hawkins — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Jeff Hawkins (Q92993) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Jeff Hawkins”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Jeff Hawkins.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/jeff-hawkins
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