kenj%wybbs.UUCP@sharkey.cc.umich.edu (Ken Jongsma) (09/13/89)
US West has begun to push voice mail in the Denver area. They anticipate 76% of the residential customers will sign up for the $6.95/month service. Installation is $8.50, waived for a 90 day promotional period. No details are given on how the system operates, but presumably the caller gets a recording if the system detects a busy or after a certain number of rings, and is invited to leave a message. I don't know... Almost $100 a year for an answering machine? One that you may not even be able to interrogate from another phone? I think they are way to optimistic on their sign up estimates. ken@cup.portal.com
john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) (09/17/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0373m02@vector.dallas.tx.us>, kenj%wybbs.UUCP@sharkey. cc.umich.edu (Ken Jongsma) writes: > I don't know... Almost $100 a year for an answering machine? One that you > may not even be able to interrogate from another phone? I think they are > way to optimistic on their sign up estimates. It IS catching on in many places. First, there is no capital outlay. It is one thing to go shopping, plunk down $100 (or more), bring the thing home and try to figure it out and hook it up, and worry about what happens when it breaks, and quite another to call "the phone company" and tell them you want their message service. I believe there is a central number you can call to retrive your messages (at least there is on the voice mail offered with my cellular phone). John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! [Moderator's Note: This is a perfect example of why so many of us always opt when possible for 'centrex-like' features on our phones. For several years I had a small 'mini-PBX' in my home (a Melco 212, actually); a Demon dialer for speed-calling, and other attachments. Those things do not come inexpensively, and they do break down eventually. When you go centrex, you eliminate all the hassle. Starline service (Illinois Bell's home centrex service) gives me everything I had before for an extra $5.50 per line/month. No fuss, no bother, no maintainence. Why not go with central office answering equipment also? Makes sense to me. PT]
sandy47@ucsco.ucsc.edu (90784000) (09/20/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0379m04@vector.dallas.tx.us> john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: >X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 379, message 4 of 4 >In article <telecom-v09i0373m02@vector.dallas.tx.us>, kenj%wybbs.UUCP@sharkey. >cc.umich.edu (Ken Jongsma) writes: >> I don't know... Almost $100 a year for an answering machine? One that you >> may not even be able to interrogate from another phone? I think they are >> way to optimistic on their sign up estimates. >It IS catching on in many places. First, there is no capital outlay. It >is one thing to go shopping, plunk down $100 (or more), bring the thing >home and try to figure it out and hook it up, and worry about what >happens when it breaks, and quite another to call "the phone company" >and tell them you want their message service. I believe there is a >central number you can call to retrive your messages (at least there is >on the voice mail offered with my cellular phone). Late 1970's through early 1980's Plantronics Inc. in Santa Cruz, CA built and marketed a system called CentraVox--a CO based answering machine for individual subscribers. FCC ruling against recording devices in COs finally killed the product line. Last operating system that I am aware of was part of the PNB system in the Seattle area. The service was popular among the masses, I am told. Consisted of a 19" rack mounted aluminum box with p/s and central tape driving motors. 12 individual line modules would independently push tape and a rubber roller against a rotating shaft to drive the tape. Two tapes, an announce on a loop and about 20 minutes of message tape were included in an interchangable unit about the size of many cassette recorders. All of the electronics other than the voice recording was digital. The system was controlled by DTMF signals from the subscriber site and there was a tone sequence indicating waiting messages when the handset was taken off hook. VOX was the other feature, up to a 20-min length of message was possible, and the system sensed the end of "intelligibility" and then rewound the tape to that point to await the next call. All features for control were available from the unmodified home telephone and there was a remote included so that you could access your service by calling your home number remotely and sending a BCD signal to authorize. You could change announce, listen to and erase messages all from any telephone. Cost was very low to the consumer as well... Too bad it died just pre-1984!
sandy47@ucsco.ucsc.edu (90784000) (09/20/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0379m04@vector.dallas.tx.us> (John Higdon) writes: >X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 379, message 4 of 4 >In article <telecom-v09i0373m02@>cc.umich.edu (Ken Jongsma) writes: >> I don't know... Almost $100 a year for an answering machine? One that you >> may not even be able interrogate from another phone? I think they are >> way to optimistic on their sign up estimates. >It IS catching on in many places. First, there is no capital outlay. It >is one thing to go shoppdng, plunk down $100 (or more), brong the thing >home and try to figure it out and hook it up, and worry about what >happens when it breaks, and ennte another to call "the rhone company" >and tell them you want their message servi.e. I believe there is a >central number you can Is, to retrive your messages (at least there is >on the voice mail offered with my cellular phone). Late 1970's through early 1980's Plantronics Inc. in Santa Cruz, CA built and marketed a system called CentraVox--a CO based answering machine for individual subscribers. FCC ruling against recording devices in COs finally killed the product line. Last op rating system that I am aware of was part of the PNB system in the Seattle area. The service was popular among the masses, I am told. Consisted of a 19" rack mounted aluminum box with p/s and central tape driving motors. 12 individual line modules would independently push tape and a rubber roller against a rotating shaft to drive the tape. Two tapes, an announcement on a loop and about 20 minutes message tape included in an interchangable unit about the size of a cassette recorders All of the electronics other than the voice recording was digital. The system was controlled by DTMF signals from the subscriber and there was a tone sequence indicating waiting messages when the handset was taken off hook. VOX was the other feature, up to a 20-min length of message was possible, and th system sensed the end of "intelligibility" and then rewound the tape to that point to await the next call. All features for control were available from the unmodified home telephone and there was a remote included so that you could access your service by using your home number remotely and sending a BCD signal to authorize. You could change announcements, listen to and erase messages all from any telephone. Cost was very low to the consumer as well... Too bad it died just in 1984! [Moderator's Note: The above message was *severely* messed up in transit. I recieved some unintelligible gibberish in almost every line. What appears above is how I reconstructed it. I hope it is entirely what the author was saying. He tried sending it a couple times to me without success. PT]