American Bell Telstar call control center

[Jim Stettler]

I found a video for  American Bell Telstar call control center. I didn't watch the full video. 
I have one of these (w/box) and I have played with it some.

It  is an ATT product from around the break-up.
ATT started reusing the American Bell name on 'high tech" offerings around the break-up.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx_qTIhtLj8&t=351s

They are a bit "high tech" for 1983.

JMO,
Jim S.

[unbeldi]

They are a bit "high tech" for 1983.

... and failed the marketing tests prior to public product launch.
The already manufactured units were sold off to electronics vendors.

To call it an answering machine (as in the video) is a bit off, at least not in the sense of the expectations for an answering machine, and the official product description made no such claim. The first all digital answering machine was actually the 1337, I believe, in ca. 1990.

[Jim Stettler]

Mine came with paperwork indicating it was an employee purchase. I don't think it was used much. 
I played with it a little bit when I first got it. I am thinking I bought it in the early/mid  1990's.

Jim S.

[AE_Collector]

So there was no ability to actually leave a voice message? The caller could simply elect to punch in his or any phone number hoping that he would be called back at that number? If they had been able to incorporate a voice message it would have been great but maybe back then no one really saw the need for the answering machine as we know it today. Next upgrade could have been little addressable boxes to plug in at each phone location in the house and then the phone it thatbroom plugs into the box and now the system could really become a PBX where any phone in the house could be called directly from another phone in the house....or maybe even from outside!

Terry

[LarryInMichigan]

I remember way back somewhere around 1984/5 that the family of a friend of mine in college had one of those because someone in the house had worked for Illinois Bell/AT&T, and they were sold off for dirt cheap to employees.  I don't remember much else other than the freaky synthesized voice.

Larry