Atari picture phone?

[TomMage]

Seems Atari was working on a picture phone many years ago. They sold rights to Mitsubishi/Luma. I picked up a couple "boxes", they do not have a model number but say Mitsubishi and Luma. They each have a picture screen and a camera lens. I'm guessing these were part of the picture phone project but can't find any pictures or further info, anyone know anything about these? Here is what I found but nothing about my "boxes"


1984 - The Tramiel Transition

Ataritel is sold to Mitsubishi and became Luma Telecom. A number of engineers from Atari continue to work with Luma. A number of Luma videophone prototypes were developed but never released.

Thanks,
Tom

[SMB]

An Atari picture phone ...now i heard it all :)

[christianscott27]

come on, lets see some pictures please!!!

picture phones, such a misguided vision for the future. how could i talk to my family on the phone without eyerolls, doodling and doing the hurry up gesture?

[TomMage]

come on, lets see some pictures please!!!

picture phones, such a misguided vision for the future. how could i talk to my family on the phone without eyerolls, doodling and doing the hurry up gesture?

I have the "boxes" stored at another place but will take pics next time I visit. Keep in mind my items are not the phone itself, two "terminals" I guess (they have wires with phone type connector at ends). Each with a camera lens and a screen. Yah answering the phone with a picture phone could be exciting, just got out of bed, in underwear (or whatever). Suffice to say I'd never use one. Hmm, now that I think of it could be good for phone se* though, haha....................

Tom

[Ed Oscuro]

Actually sounds like exactly the sort of thing Atari was interested in doing during the pre-Falcon days...or maybe even during the Falcon days. They did make that handheld computer, after all!

[gavv]

Actually sounds like exactly the sort of thing Atari was interested in doing during the pre-Falcon days...or maybe even during the Falcon days. They did make that handheld computer, after all!

it was actually a plan to bring a quasi-network to the home through the telephone line (doing stuff back then like trying to do email or coupons through 'a small interface hooked up to your phone line' (or so said Rob Newman) ). It was headquartered in the same atari building as the guys doing the Electronic Publishing Systems joint venture project between Atari/Activision (over the air wireless game distribution through FM subcarriers).

gavv

[TomMage]

Actually sounds like exactly the sort of thing Atari was interested in doing during the pre-Falcon days...or maybe even during the Falcon days. They did make that handheld computer, after all!

it was actually a plan to bring a quasi-network to the home through the telephone line (doing stuff back then like trying to do email or coupons through 'a small interface hooked up to your phone line' (or so said Rob Newman) ). It was headquartered in the same atari building as the guys doing the Electronic Publishing Systems joint venture project between Atari/Activision (over the air wireless game distribution through FM subcarriers).

gavv

Were these "boxes" ever sold to public or are they prototypes? They say Mitusubishi on front, a sticker that says Luma on bottom. Are they related to the Atari picture phone or something developed by Mitusubishi/Luma separately?

Thanks,
Tom

[Steve W]

I'm going to drag this topic back up top, since I have a question. I came across a Mitsubishi Luma videophone in a thrift this afternoon, but I wasn't sure if it was the Atari designed kind, so I passed on it. I looked it up online, and it's the exact same model I keep seeing pictures of on the assorted AtariTel sites. So... how hard to find are these things? I'm nearly broke, but I'll have to go back and buy that sucker if it's something that would be incredibly hard to find in the future. I love to pick up these kinds of Atari-related things.

[PingvinBlueJeans]

An Atari picture phone ...now i heard it all :)

For 21st century technology, I'd prefer an Atari laptop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID1KsnermXk

[tom]

look here under AtariTel:

http://www.atarimuseum.com/otherprojects/otherprojects.html

[cyberfluxor]

For 21st century technology, I'd prefer an Atari laptop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID1KsnermXk
That's amazing.

[Rob2600]

An Atari picture phone ...now i heard it all :)

Atari was also looking into holographic technology. Supposedly, Atari bought out every hologram related patent it could find in the late 1970s:

www.atarihq.com/museum/miscatari/cosmos.html (http://www.atarihq.com/museum/miscatari/cosmos.html)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Cosmos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Cosmos)

[Steve W]

Well, I broke down and bought the Luma phone. I paid $9.99 for it, even with the realization that there's very few of these things around anymore, so I don't have much of an opportunity to try it out with another owner.