The National Archives blog recently featured a pretty cool clip showing one of the first “futuristic” video phones – from 1955, manual rotary dial and all.
According to the blog:
“Demonstrated for the first time, the videophone, with two-way picture screens enabling the parties to see, as well as speak to, each other. As simple to operate as today’s dial tone. The videophone included a small screen so that women could ‘primp’ before placing their calls. A mirror would have been less costly and more effective.”
+More on Network World: The IRS uses computers?! The horror!+
The blog notes the mention of “dial tone” – which replaced the need for an operator – which was still a novelty in the early 1950s but by the 196s it had become ubiquitous.
While the video phone might have had an audience if it had been priced reasonably – “According to the Universal news story, the videophone cost $5000, or about $43,000.00 in today’s dollars,” the blog states.
Check out these other hot stories:
US Navy goes all Iron Man for industrial duty
Death notice: In Delaware your social media accounts now go to your heirs
DARPA looks to build James Bond-like armored super vehicle
NASA’s green rocket fuel set for major space test
DARPA contemplates vast ocean network
IBM/DARPA turn out brain-like 5-billion transistor superchip