Telephone Answering Machine

Telephone Answering Machine

<< >>
Usage conditions apply
Downloads
Description (Brief)
In the late 1990s Motorola introduced this Pocketalk digital answering machine. Similar to a pager in construction, the Pocketalk allowed the user to hear an incoming phone message almost anywhere. Motorola designed the unit to make use of a special transmission network to which the user paid a monthly subscription. The incoming call would be recorded at a message center, digitized and sent to the transmitter nearest the Pocketalk’s location. While the network did not have complete coverage, most metropolitan areas could receive the signals. By 2000, advances in cellular telephones made the Pocketalk obsolete.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
telephone answering machine
recording device
answering machine
date made
1998
maker
Motorola Inc.
Physical Description
plastic (overall material)
metal (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 9.1 cm x 6.5 cm x 2.3 cm; 3 9/16 in x 2 9/16 in x 7/8 in
ID Number
2003.0095.074
catalog number
2003.0095.074
accession number
2003.0095
Credit Line
from Daniel Henderson
See more items in
Work and Industry: Electricity
Magnetic Recording
Communications
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.   

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.

Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.