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Bill Duncan · 10-01-2018, 05:12 PM

Interesting article.. Not really in-depth and there are gaps, but interesting nonetheless..

Meet Your iPhone’s Grandparent

Don Shepherd · (This post was last modified: 10-01-2018 08:15 PM by Don Shepherd.)

(10-01-2018 05:12 PM)Bill Duncan Wrote: Interesting article.. Not really in-depth and there are gaps, but interesting nonetheless..

Meet Your iPhone’s Grandparent

Bill, thanks for the link, interesting article.

Here is one device the article didn't mention:

https://amazon.com/Sharp-TM-20-TelMail-E...harp+tm-20

Sharp's Pocketmail, a portable device with a built-in acoustic coupler to let you send/receive email from even pay phones via an 800 number--no Internet required. I've still got mine but the company that supported it went out of business years ago. I actually used this on business trips prior to 2000. Amazingly, Amazon is still selling it. I pity the fool who buys one now.

EugeneNine · 10-01-2018, 08:17 PM

The early palm pilots too were part of the evolution. I was really hoping when HP bought Palm they did it for the prior art to challenge Apple on all of their false patents but nothing ever came out of it.

pier4r · 10-02-2018, 10:07 AM

thanks for sharing

Frido Bohn · 10-02-2018, 02:15 PM

In my opinion the idea of an all-purpose-magic machine that resembles the functionality of a today's smartphone was already conveyed in 1979 in "The HP Personal Calculator Digest" (Volume 5).

Cheers,
Frido

EugeneNine · 10-02-2018, 08:03 PM

Thats one of the reasons I bought the blackberry Priv, a real keyboard similar to a calculator. But BB messed up the software after about 6 months, it got slow an buggy and battery life got as bad as an iphone.

Eddie W. Shore · 10-05-2018, 01:50 AM

Interesting article. Can you imagine if the Sharp EL-5000 III, HP 71B, or any of the smaller BASIC programming computers were able to make phone calls?

Garth Wilson · 10-05-2018, 02:25 AM

(10-05-2018 01:50 AM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote: Interesting article. Can you imagine if the Sharp EL-5000 III, HP 71B, or any of the smaller BASIC programming computers were able to make phone calls?

It could probably be done now with a new HP-71 module. If not, at least something like Bluetooth or WiFi would fit. Certainly it would in the card reader port, maybe also in a front port.

Gerson W. Barbosa · 10-05-2018, 02:58 AM

(10-05-2018 01:50 AM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote: Can you imagine if the Sharp EL-5000 III, HP 71B, or any of the smaller BASIC programming computers were able to make phone calls?

It’s a good thing these devices aren’t able to make phone calls. This means they ARE NOT ABLE TO RECEIVE PHONE CALLS EITHER, which is an even better thing. I’d rather want my calculators to remain silent forever.

Massimo Gnerucci · 10-05-2018, 06:08 AM

(10-05-2018 01:50 AM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote: Interesting article. Can you imagine if the Sharp EL-5000 III, HP 71B, or any of the smaller BASIC programming computers were able to make phone calls?

Well, there was this:
[Image: 82168A-37.jpg]

Matt Agajanian · (This post was last modified: 11-06-2018 01:06 AM by Matt Agajanian.)

(10-01-2018 05:12 PM)Bill Duncan Wrote: Interesting article.. Not really in-depth and there are gaps, but interesting nonetheless..

Meet Your iPhone’s Grandparent

Boy, that article felt like a trip through Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine! Thanks! Having several Sharp Wizards, several Palm m5xx and Tungsten series, an HP-95LX and iPhone 4S, 7, and X, it felt like living and experiencing the article firsthand.

Garth Wilson · 11-06-2018, 05:17 AM

(10-05-2018 06:08 AM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:
(10-05-2018 01:50 AM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote: Interesting article. Can you imagine if the Sharp EL-5000 III, HP 71B, or any of the smaller BASIC programming computers were able to make phone calls?

Well, there was this:

also these two direct-connect HP-IL modems:

I just scanned that from the EduCalc catalog #35. I can't find a date on it.

Massimo Gnerucci · 11-06-2018, 07:22 AM

(11-06-2018 05:17 AM)Garth Wilson Wrote:
(10-05-2018 06:08 AM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote: Well, there was this:

also these two direct-connect HP-IL modems:

I just scanned that from the EduCalc catalog #35. I can't find a date on it.

WOW! Modem + Barcode reader. I need one.

Jake Schwartz · 11-07-2018, 04:26 PM

(11-06-2018 05:17 AM)Garth Wilson Wrote: I just scanned that from the EduCalc catalog #35. I can't find a date on it.

EduCALC Catalog #35 was the second one from 1987. If you look at the cover in the upper lefthand corner, it says "1987".

Jake

Sylvain Cote · 11-07-2018, 05:11 PM

(11-06-2018 07:22 AM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote: WOW! Modem + Barcode reader. I need one.

You bet! To be more precise, a MoDem with a HP-75D compatible barcode reader port only. No barcode reader was included in the product.

Sylvain Cote · 11-07-2018, 05:49 PM

(10-05-2018 06:08 AM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:
(10-05-2018 01:50 AM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote: Interesting article. Can you imagine if the Sharp EL-5000 III, HP 71B, or any of the smaller BASIC programming computers were able to make phone calls?

Well, there was this:

The acoustic coupler was able to transmit and receive data but it was unable to dial or answering a phone call.
You had to manually do the call with a rotary or push button phone and wait for the dial tone before inserting the handset into the coupler.

Massimo Gnerucci · 11-07-2018, 08:41 PM

(11-07-2018 05:11 PM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:
(11-06-2018 07:22 AM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote: WOW! Modem + Barcode reader. I need one.
You bet! To be more precise, a MoDem with a HP-75D compatible barcode reader port only. No barcode reader was included in the product.

Suddenly, interest faded a little ;)

Massimo Gnerucci · 11-07-2018, 08:42 PM

(11-07-2018 05:49 PM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:
(10-05-2018 06:08 AM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote: Well, there was this:

The acoustic coupler was able to transmit and receive data but it was unable to dial or answering a phone call.
You had to manually do the call with a rotary or push button phone and wait for the dial tone before inserting the handset into the coupler.

I have one, but never used it.
However you're right: that's the way acoustic couplers worked.