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From: SPGDCM%UCBCMSA.Berkeley.EDU@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.EDU.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.telecom
Subject: video telephones
Message-ID: <8701290548.AA27571@jade.berkeley.edu>
Date: Thu, 29-Jan-87 00:47:24 EST
Article-I.D.: jade.8701290548.AA27571
Posted: Thu Jan 29 00:47:24 1987
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 MSG:FROM: SPGDCM  --UCBCMSA  TO: NETWORK --NETWORK           01/28/87 21:47:23
 To: NETWORK --NETWORK  Network Address

 From:    Doug Mosher                 <SPGDCM at UCBCMSA>
 Title:   MVS/Tandem Systems Manager  (415)642-5823
 Office:  Evans 257, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
 Subject: video telephones
 To: Telecom@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU

 Macy's here, and a catalog house like DAK or JS&A, both sell the same brand of
 a form of videophone for about $1000 I think. What it does is allow the sender
 to see yourself on a tiny screen. When you decide you want to "freeze" a
 picture, you push a button. Then if you like what you see you can push "send".
 The single small B&W frame is then sent over the voice line in several
 seconds, while voice is shut off (shame they didn't at least multiplex that).

 Uses regular, not even 64KB, phone lines.

 A gimmick perhaps. But it works on cheapo lines; it costs only a tiny fortune;
 it has the interesting effect of allowing you to decide whether to be seen and
 how and how often. It is being marketed in dept stores so there's a chance of
 compatibility with others (be smart and be the last, of course...)

 From one point of view it could be called a form of fax service.

 Such things could have some interest in such applications as: dating or dating
 services; certain types of model and ad agencies; perhaps certain design
 services; some types of commerce (e.g. car parts places could show pix of the
 part; many related applications like that) and of course some subset of
 phone-porn, escort-services, cooperative dirty callers, etc.

 If almost everyone else had these, and/or if there were some cheap sleazo 976
 numbers to play with, I might buy one.

 So never-never and $70,000 and suchlike comments may be unnecessarily
 negative, wot?
 Thanks, Doug
   %  video telephones