The original Windows phone :-)

[ma_xyz]

Found this on a Swiss auction site. Not exactly a rotary phone :-) but still interesting enough so I bought it (~17$ including shipping)

"Microsoft Touch for Windows 95, the complete communication solution for direct access to the data highway"

This apparently was a kind of joint venture development/marketing between Microsoft's Swiss subsidiary, Swiss PTT, Ascom (The Swiss "default" provider to Swiss PTT, something like the Swiss "Western Electric") and a local IT/Software company which provided some sw tools packaged with the phone.

The phone is based on the Ascom "Aura" line, a standard Ascom line of the early 90ties, but includes a 14.400 Faxmodem.

It is bundled with "MSN", "VTXWINX" (A client for the PTT Videotex service which by 95 was already in transition to be outsourced to Swissonline which later relaunched the portal in with an "AOL" type of interface), A Videotex Telebanking connector, ETV connect ('E'lektronisches 'T'eilnehmer'v'erzeichnis - Electronic user directory, the term ETV is still used today for the direct b2b access to the swisscom directory service) and "Teledata Assistent" (Access to something like the yellow pages).

The CHF 69.- Pricetag on the Box must be from a later clearance sale. In 1995 CHF 69.- for a Phone including a Modem would have been a major steal I think (at least in Switzerland).

The phone works. Need some time to test the modem. Will report.

I googled around but did not find anything about a similar device in other countries, anybody knows of one?

[Key2871]

That's interesting, I have not seen that before. Cool price of history, at a good price too!

[Stormcrash]

Nice find! That phone so perfectly sums up the 90's in terms of computers and communications, both in lofty aspiration and kludgy reality

[ma_xyz]

That phone so perfectly sums up the 90's in terms of computers and communications, both in lofty aspiration and kludgy reality

well said :-)