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From: john@jetson.upma.md.us (John Owens)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Phone Design For Humans
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Date: 2 Oct 89 22:22:36 GMT
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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