Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: john@jetson.upma.md.us (John Owens) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Phone Design For Humans Message-ID:Date: 2 Oct 89 22:22:36 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Organization: SMART HOUSE Limited Partnership Lines: 35 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 424, message 2 of 9 On Sep 27, 9:37pm, Gabe Wiener wrote: > I remember when a friend went to buy a 2500 set a few > years ago, what he came back with was truly horrible. Worse, it was > made by AT&T. > Is this the evolution (or shall I say devolution) of the venerable 2500 > set? I'd better hang on to the one I have. It may well be worth something > one day. Just after these "improved" AT&T phones went on the market (1985), I was still able to find an unused Western Electric-labelled electromechanical white Trimline desk phone in among the new AT&T phones without too much trouble. In 1987, I wanted a matching (unused) wall phone, and only found one after considerable scrounging through stocks of low-volume AT&T resellers - I found one at a K-mart. In both cases, there was little packaging difference, and the prices were the same. I doubt if I could find any unused electromechanical Western Electric phones now (although someone pointed out in an earlier message that ITT and others are still making them). Interestingly, when I was looking for the phone in 1987, a salesperson told me that I should get the electronic model, since they offered a 3-year warranty on the new ones and only a 1-year warranty on the "old" (but unused) phones. I had my doubts that the new phones would make it through the warranty period, while I suspected that the old ones could outlive me.... There's a big difference between making a phone that you plan to maintain forever at your own expense and making a phone for retail sale! Even the AT&T Phone Center Stores won't lease the new phones, only refurbished old ones (but they refuse to sell them). John Owens john@jetson.UPMA.MD.US uunet!jetson!john +1 301 249 6000 john%jetson.uucp@uunet.uu.net