Navitel TouchPhone

Dinosaur Tech Dept.: Here’s an example of the breathless hype I was asked to write for computer magazines that paid well but butchered copy. Not surprisingly, little trace of this product and company remain.

                                                                                              

PLACE A PHONE CALL, get a sports score. Read your e-mail, check the weather forecast. Navitel’s new TouchPhone puts Internet access and conventional phone calling into one handy instrument that comes complete with a touch screen and Windows CE software.

It’s such a practical device that Buzz is almost embarrassed to remind you that we predicted this kind of gadget with last year’s debut of Microsoft’s portable operating system. And it’s the first obvious step in what we expect to be a steady progression of Windows CE-based devices throughout your home.

Caller ID and voice mail are built into the TouchPhone, and there’s even a traditional keyboard hidden under the machine. By default it calls for your e-mail every hour, and you can fetch info from favorite Web sites. Use the easy TouchFinger interface to check your inbox, update the address book--or, if you’re using the TouchPhone 200 with its high-resolution screen and 28.8K modem, to stay online and browse the Web. This is smart phone with a master’s degree.
   
TouchPhone * Navitel * Model 100 (low-res screen and 14.4K modem): $299 * Model 200 (high-res screen and 28.8K modem): $499 * Available July-August * (415) 462-9171 * www.navitel.com

– Computer Life, July 1997