A smart phone from 1984 - The STC Executel

1984's smartest phone - The STC 3910 Executel. A desktop information device that looks straight out of Blade Runner. Futuristic in concept, yet very much a product of its time.
Binary Dinosaurs pages on the STC Executel
www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk/Muse...
www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk/Muse...
UPDATE
IT TURNS OUT MY PHONE WAS ONCE THE PROPERTY OF THE COMPANY I RANG AT THE END OF THE VIDEO (H&S)
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[@Techmoan]

*M Y S T E R Y S O L V E D* - *THIS PHONE WAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY H&S (The company who answered my call)* *It is an executive recruitment consultancy.* *This message is pinned and in bold to make it as visible as possible*

[@JacGoudsmit]

How did you find out?

[@Techmoan]

Old phone directories showed the numbers as belonging to them. The company still has offices in all those locations and has been around sixty years. I think the problems with the numbers I rang were just down to changes over the last 26 years - e.g prefixes of some numbers or consolidating to a central exchange.

[@JacGoudsmit]

@@Techmoan Ah, right. Of course. Like almost all phone numbers in the Netherlands changed in 1995 because of a giant reorganization to make more space for phone numbers and comply with new international standards.

[@felixdietzCGN]

Not pinned any more - i think it gets unpinned if you edit the comment

[@TheRanblingjohnny]

@@Techmoan it's a minor miracle that at least one of these numbers worked.

[@mcolville]

"New York, London, Paris, Munich." Maybe it has something to do with pop music? I love this channel so much!

[@tychothefriendlymonolith]

Bowowowowow Bowww Bowww

[@InflatablePlane]

Whelp that song is stuck in my head now.

[@cameronmalchow1837]

🎶Talk about, pop music, pop pop pop, pop music🎶

[@FreeportHometown]

Shoobie doobie do-op

[@wowqa9387]

San Francisco

[@felixculpa4192]

Until he explained the data of the previous owner stored inside, I was actually wondering if he had taken the time to input a whole bunch of random information just to show us how it worked... I was thinking "man that's some serious dedication there"...

[@JonWallis123]

Gordon McBeath (listed in the calendar at @10:01) was the Personnel Director at ASDA until 1994. Prior to that he was the Personnel and Administrative Director for... drumroll... STC Telecommunications.

[@frankcooke1692]

Most of those people are probably dead now. We're looking at dead people.

[@theguywhofoundwaldoo7939]

@@frankcooke1692 good

[@petros_adamopoulos]

@@frankcooke1692 History books are full of those. Don't be spooked.

[@tsvetangeorgiev]

@Wesley Swafford This is the most profound thing I've read today... Should mention I've been reading mostly tech literature :)

[@undefined40]

you mean 10:01 , 19'35" is the end of the video (how am I the only one in 2 years mentioning this?)

[@amiralavi6599]

This device has yellowed a bit *8-Bit Guy wants to know your location*

[@mrkitty777]

😁😆😂

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

He knows, and he's not interested... kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXq7gHtnqa99q5Y

[@38911bytefree]

LOL ... but then, it he will have so many rainy days that it will take ages.

[@frixyg2050]

Still, I wouldn't mind seeing it wretchrowbreighted (or one of those spellings).

[@YoStu242]

I have many yellowed devices in my mouth, 8bitguy where art thouuu

[@zappawench6048]

You've become a telephone sanitizer as per Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!

[@pegtooth2006]

Yes and he has a forest load of money. If you don't believe me, go ask the head honcho in the large bath tub.

[@ederst9759]

Must have been retrieved from the wreckage of the 'B'' Ark...

[@lurid_phaesporia]

Hah, the calendar's actually got a better user interface than a lot of modern apps these days.

[@bicycleninja1685]

Lurid Phaesporia And everything is in one place and integrated. Today you may have to open several desktop and web apps to do the same thing, interrupted by various prompts and ads. User experience is at the bottom of the list for software and technology companies today. They just want to squeeze more money out of you.

[@bicycleninja1685]

@PrintOmnivore20 Not boomer, am developer. Is boomer an insult these days? I see it thrown around alot. Nothing wrong with being old. You too, one day, will be old, if you're lucky.

[@bicycleninja1685]

@PrintOmnivore20 Son, go back to eating avocado toast and getting high scores on your video games while talking on your Obamaphone.

[@bicycleninja1685]

@PrintOmnivore20 whoosh

[@lurid_phaesporia]

Wow LOL who is this printed omnivore and where on earth did they learn this "boomer" nonsense. A regular internet troll moron that one.

[@futurepastnow]

"Faulty Time" Yes, phone, yes it is.

[@dernahstudent2891]

Now more than ever.

[@markusisaksson6023]

Amen 😓

[@CesarAbeid]

The lady from Heidrick & Struggles answered your call on her STC Executel

[@Halfpipesaur]

on the Executel's slave unit

[@CesarAbeid]

Halfpipesaur indeed.

[@jk9554]

@@Halfpipesaur "slave unit" sounds so much worse than it should in that context.

[@jorge1170xyz]

@@Halfpipesaur Lololololol

[@harukatakahashi8822]

@@jorge1170xyz Lololololololololololololo

[@stevenjlovelace]

For a machine marketed to millionaires, it's funny that the calculator can't go to a million.

[@jusb1066]

it was to calculate others pay, not their own

[@kaitlyn__L]

This got a laugh from me but then my pedantic mode kicked in and remembered that for them, they usually just count in millions anyway. Like shareholder reports. "255.32” for 255,320,000.

[@ballsrgrossnugly]

@@kaitlyn__L Yup, they simply moved the decimal point 6 places when computing their OWN pay, while doing the grunt's payslips in pov mode with the decimal in the standard position.

[@pannenkoekspek]

@@ballsrgrossnugly i want a "pov mode" button on my keyboard. Just to remind my employees i view them as peasants..

[@mbirth]

Because after buying one, you wouldn't be a millionaire anymore…

[@carriageofnoreturn.1881]

I was using one of these until recently when it died in a house move - best phone ever invented. Let me know if you want any instruction manuals. Also, the mystery button you mention at the end was a printer button on the next iteration. Lovely to see one still working!

[@martinfitzpatrick697]

Do you still have it? I'd be interested in getting a broken one for hacking around with.

[@carriageofnoreturn.1881]

@@martinfitzpatrick697 Hi - I do still have it, but I'm hoping to get it repaired. I've been in conversation with Adrian from Binary Dinosaurs, and he has a cunning plan. If that all goes awry, though, I will bear you in mind.

[@martinfitzpatrick697]

@@carriageofnoreturn.1881 great, hope it works out! I'd want to get it working too, not many of them left it seems.

[@edwardanimations6296]

Include me in that list of people that hopes it works out!

[@georgemaragos2378]

@@carriageofnoreturn.1881 And i thought only Baldrick had a cunning plan :)

[@alptigin5438]

Hang on, my shoulder pads aren't big enough to be watching this video. I also seem to be out of L.A. Looks Ultra Hold.

[@911ben8]

🎶 “New York, London, Paris, Munich Everybody talk about pop muzik!” 🎶

[@mistermatix8241]

🎵"pop pop pop pop pop pop muzik!" 🎵

[@lucianoleali9526]

Talk about !

[@shadshowadradna]

Leeds, Detroit, Berlin, New York.

[@1974UTuber]

OK now I have dust off the record player and dig out the record. I could bring the song up on youtube but its just not the same as putting the needle on the record

[@originalmossman]

@@1974UTuber put the needle on the record, when the drumbeat goes like this...

[@binarydinosaurs]

Thanks for the nod to my STC page which I've realised is sorely out of date :) When I first saw one of these back in 2016 I didn't care what it was, I just had to have one. The resemblance to a Beocenter was striking and there's reasons it won a design award. These days thanks to the generosity of STC ex-staffers I have the motherlode of Executel goodness which is awesome, and the demo unit that went around the world will once again be on display at the Centre For Computing History in Cambridge UK at the Retro Weekend on the 7/8th September. Your unit is an early version missing the printer capability, later versions had not only serial printer support (hence your missing key) but also an external RGB socket so you could hook up to a large SCART TV to show off your stocks and shares on Prestel. A quick note about the One Per Desk - the project manager for the Executel was also responsible for the Wunper.

[@GrahamDenison]

Adrian Graham I was thinking OPD as soon as I saw it.

[@binarydinosaurs]

@@GrahamDenison The main difference is that the 3910 is a computerised phone whereas the Wunper is a computer that happens to be nailed to a 2 line phone exchange. I need to revise my OPD page though, I wrote that back in 2002.

[@lucidphreak1137]

youre right.. it DOES look like a B&O device.

[@gerrys1]

I love the voyeristic look into the past as much as the tech! Also you found the company, heidrick and struggles is a massive executive search company around since the 1950s and several of the other names in the addressbook worked there

[@HowieHaigh]

I'm so glad you mentioned the ICL One Per Desk units. I worked at a computer company where the managers were given these. One of my mischievous colleagues managed to coax the speech synthesiser into saying something along the lines of "I cannot take your call at the moment as I am busy servicing my secretary" (which in those days might not have been too far from the truth with a couple of the managers...) 😂

[@theenzoferrari458]

Bill Clinton knows about that. :]

[@binarydinosaurs]

The best I made one of mine say was "My Secretary is giv_ing me head in the office on holiday"

[@NicMG]

Clicked the video, waited for a Blade Runner reference, you never let me down.

[@trippmoore]

Eh, with that tiny monitor it looks more like something out of Brazil. Just add a magnifying screen in front and pull off the keyboard cover to expose the wires and it would look exactly like something Sam Lawry would use.

[@TouhaiDensetsu]

@@trippmoore Or straight outta Alien. I bet the software can easily calculate the landing trajectory.

[@TheGramophoneGirl]

OMG I remember those. I went for work experience with a tech company in 1986 and the boss had one and I thought he was the bees knees for having one. What a blast from the past!

[@lifeisgood12341]

Awesome

[@Madmonk]

"i taught he was the bees knees" is enough of a blast from the past for me thanks

[@TheJosep70]

@kiyonexus And judging by your comment you must be 12 at most...

[@ButterBallTheOpossum]

I wonder if it has a removable mirror for chopping up cocaine.

[@ButterBallTheOpossum]

@kloadit You don't necessarily need a mirror,just a smooth,hard, non porous surface. A mirror meets all of those criteria plus a mirror has other uses that you could use as an excuse for having it in your possession. interesting fact: In the 1980s the Lamborghini Countash had removable visor mirrors lol. I wonder what a wealthy person in the 1980s would need a removable mirror for? Probably just for doing makeup I'm sure! 😂

[@davidbass3178]

@@ButterBallTheOpossum thats funny af

[@pqlasmdhryeiw8]

Cocaine paraphernalia is more of a 1970s thing.

[@throttlebottle5906]

senses a presence of DEA and law agencies following butterball now

[@BillAnt]

They should have included a fake credit card too... you know "just for fun" xD OMG Techmoan has actually smiled at 17:30 ... wooo-hoooo!! ;D

[@JeepBoiFL]

I know this is lame but when I saw the note -call___ "if no contact", that phrase sparked memories. Back in the 90s when I had cubicle and tie jobs that was a common sticky note I would place on the wall in front of me. Definitely reminded me of, IMO, better times when a person was only reachable at their office or by paging them. You always had the time to think through the business at hand as opposed to how it is now. Instant is not always the best or most productive. (I used the acronym "INC" on my notes to remind me)

[@AndySmallbone]

My Dad worked for STC all his working life, first in London and then moved to Basildon, Essex in the 60s before moving to Harlow till it became Nortel Networks till he retired. I worked for them as well in Basildon for sometime. Funny that the green phone was also made by STC for BT. They had so much cool tech in the factory including equipment that floated on a bed of air on a special coated floor.

[@mjarbar3204]

I have lived in Basildon since the early 1970's and I wondered why STC sounded familar!

[@BillAnt]

OMG Techmoan has actually smiled at 17:30 ... wooo-hoooo!! ;D

[@Orinslayer]

The 80's and 90's were big on those fake cooling fins.

[@bicycleninja1685]

Orin Anthony Xbox original has them as well.

[@TheDonSapius]

Lol, Atari 2600 though.

[@petros_adamopoulos]

I don't think most fins are fake, there was heat to dissipate even back then.

[@Leo9ine]

All thanks to the Ferrari 512 Testarossa which innovated the design.

[@Wolfstanus]

Most of them weren't fake, just a clever way of hiding the tiny holes

[@k3ntris]

You know, I love the old quirky designs of old technology. Now it’s just flat panels and thin everything.

[@DogSerious]

You can thank the USS Enterprise-D for that, but they did make it look cool.

[@francisgaba4457]

OLD WAS GOLD: TEC ADVANCED BUT DESIGNS DISAPPEARD: I KEEP LOOKING FOR AMAZING ELECTRONIC DESIGNS:

[@mrcaboosevg6089]

I like how stuff changes, modern stuff looks good but in 20 years we'll be wondering how dumb we all were.

[@charlesroberts3650]

I don't think that "quirky" is the adjective here, it would only apply if there had being some contemporaneous way to have designed it differently, "better", if ANOTHER, less "quirky" way was available. This was state of the art. "Quirky" would apply to, for example, the way that things were done in (early) Widows PCs; very awkwardly, in an un-intuative way, with a clunky interface, with garish CLUTs (Color look-up Tables). This, in comparison to the smooth responsiveness, ELEGANCE, and beautiful color pallets that the Macintosh had and used at that same time. Now, THAT was "Quirky". You cannot compare the "old" state-of the-art designs to the new. It'd be like trying to compare, unfavorably, the way that cars used to be designed in the 1950s to the way they are designed in this age, they did not have the technological, advanced know-how that we do today, they could not have done it differently. A more apt adjective would be "Quaint". "The adjective "quirky" is often used to describe those unconventional things that are characterized by peculiar behavior or an UNEXPECTED point of view". "Quaint", having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm; oddly picturesque: a quaint old house". I hope that I did not irritate or BORE you.

[@CockatooDude]

Not necessarily, I would point you to custom PC builds, those can take on all sorts of cool shapes and sizes.

[@DjNikGnashers]

You never cease to amaze me, with the sheer number of unheard of technology items you discover. Every video is a learning day, thank you so much.

[@AthenaNova1]

A way around the Y2K year issue would be to set the calendar year to 1985 or 1991. They have the same days of the week as 2019. That's the way I do it on vintage devices.

[@MusicalArmageddon]

Not 1985, because that wouldn't sync up with leap years. 2020 and 1992 are leap years; 1986 is not.

[@alainportant6412]

@@MusicalArmageddon why are you being a dick?

[@aliatef7203]

@@alainportant6412 correcting someone being considered dick behaviour must be a leading contributor to ignorance everywhere

[@nthgth]

@@aliatef7203 _Mic dropped._ That was actually a very helpful correction

[@imperialspy3457]

@@alainportant6412 the comment is concise, helpful and free of insults. You are the dick here.

[@OnnieKoski]

I love the idea of having to spin up micro cassettes to spy on someones’s 25 year old calendar. Now all you have to do is ask FaceBook

[@dwoodman26]

13:01 That ringer is a time machine! I was instantly transported back to the 80's.

[@AndersEngerJensen]

The good old 80s business life! 😂😎 Things haven’t changed much though, except that people tend to deal with mails and enquiries themselves (with the exception of those very high end brass CEOs perhaps). Just as much stress and work now as in 1985.

[@cleverlyblonde]

Some lawyers offices in sweden and norway still have the secretary thing going on, but now it's "Office assistant" or "Chief Organising Executive" etc. Predominantly women hold these though, in 2019. ;)

[@tsdarc]

The design is really reminiscent of old Bang & Olufsen BeoCenter HiFis

[@TheRealColBosch]

That's what I was trying to think of. It really does!

[@tmc-bh1eo]

My thoughts exactly!

[@peterlinddk]

Exactly. Especially the 2200 series, from 1979/1980.

[@JimUK]

Yes that what I thought when I first saw it.

[@beitie]

As an owner of a Beocenter 9000, I agree.

[@haroonabassi1821]

It really does look like something Sean Connery would have sitting on his desk while he's sipping coffee and viewing security footage on an off-world deep space mining colony.

[@KevReillyUK]

Everything about this video is a delight, from the device itself through the 1993 time capsule on the cassette to the dad jokes. And what a stunning bit of industrial design that thing is. I got an immediate Blade Runner / 2010 / Tron vibe so I'm glad to see at least one of those got an inevitable callout. As for the person whose machine this was, he or she (but let's be honest, in the early 90s more likely he) seems to have embraced the whole digital calendar thing with great enthusiasm. I like to think that, if he didn't retire, he switched to a Psion Series 3a around 1993. It would have been like putting his whole desktop in his pocket.

[@TheJosep70]

Tron was so advanced for its time Dillinger even had a giant touchscreen under the table top.

[@leerosevere3286]

I truly appreciate the M reference

[@alliejr]

Brilliant! M Pop Music!

[@darrenkrivit6854]

I had that 45rpm single😎 great song

[@5roundsrapid263]

I knew he was going to say it! 😊

[@brianl4366]

@@5roundsrapid263 I think anybody in a certain age range is going to hear that in their heads as soon as somebody goes 'New York London Paris...' :)

[@johannes914]

@@alliejr he made my day. Now I have to listen again to this wonderfull track.

[@tychosis]

Per Wikipedia, Heidrick & Struggles appears to be an executive search firm--you know, the companies that go headhunt for people looking for executives. Anyway they apparently started in 1953 and eventually had over 50 offices in six continents.

[@gcewing]

Sounds like they may have been singlehandedly responsible for most of STC's sales of Executels...

[@cgavin1]

50 offices on six continents... nobody has ever heard of them. Definitely a CIA front.

[@dominateeye]

I know this is a few years old now, but I think there's a good chance that this device was in fact used by someone from Heidrick & Struggles. I've looked up their list of offices, and the only places he reads out at 15:36 that aren't on their website are Barcelona and Greenwich. I think it's plausible that those offices got folded into the Madrid and London offices, respectively. Considering that only two of those locations no longer have H&S offices, and one of the phone numbers still works, and this is both a headhunting AND executive consulting firm that would probably send people all over the world... There'd be no proof unless something on the machine specifically mentioned being owned by H&S, of course, but I think it's a reasonable conclusion to say it was owned by that company. Jury's still out on whether it's a CIA front, though.

[@sagichnicht6748]

The minicassette was Made in Austria. Oh those were the days :) Greetings from Austria.

[@mittfh]

"And he takes a train from London to Runcorn - it can't be all fun and games, can it?!" 😁

[@lucidphreak1137]

what does that mean? im a yank and have zero clue what the meaning of that is..... obviously he was being "cheeky" though. :)

[@lucidphreak1137]

ahhh.. in that its a long commute?

[@tigerchillyable]

lucid phreak Runcorn is a shithole. Watch a show called 2 pints of larger and packet of crisps.

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

OMFG the Pop Musik reference made me laugh out loud

[@WaltonPete]

"Everybody's talkin' 'bout pop music!"

[@Quick_Fix]

I wonder how many of the younger viewers got that little in joke. 😋

[@JackBealeGuitar]

Yes, it's rare for me to actually lol, but I did at that, such a crap joke, it just broke me :D

[@sverkermarklund6709]

Brilliant. One of my favorites at the time it came out and still a good one :)

[@JanBabiuchHall]

Quick Fix I did not :(

[@scottd9448]

That is a fantastic piece of kit! Funnily, I did some work at Heidrick & Struggles a couple of years ago in Chicago. This reminds me of the Seiko Data 2000 watch that I had in 1991 in the 5th year at school. I used it to take notes in IT on the BBC Micro's.

[@pgibsonorg]

I texted my dad and received confirmation that he is indeed the lunch contact shown at 9:55 Such a small world! Thanks for showing off this nifty machine.

[@The1Nomad]

On a more random note, I recently saw an Executel on an episode of Gerry Andersen's Space Precinct. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

[@boredfartless4221]

Probably it will pop up in all sorts of 80s TV and Movies

[@TombstoneChris]

3:30 a.m. here in Florida and I get a notification of a techmoan video and I instantly click. Absolutely one of my favorite channels. I can't wait a smartphone from 1984 wow.

[@tntgamer9138]

3 mins later

[@aidanstenson7063]

I live in Florida too!

[@patricescattolin43]

I winter in Florida 😀

[@aidanstenson7063]

@@patricescattolin43 smart, winter is probably the best time here, except for the snowbirds

[@ChatGPT1111]

ChrisS82 Cocoa Beach here!

[@JohnnyX50]

The look on your face when the lady answers was bloody hilarious :D

[@MarvelDcImage]

That was an impressive phone receptionist for H&S - I can tell how high quality a firm is in their employee staffing/training based on how professional the receptionist is. Especially these days when firms just replace receptionists with temps if they have any at all.

[@SudaNIm103]

Beautiful. Looks kind of like an early AT&T Merlin deskset that was the unlikely love child of a B&O BeoMaster, and a Mitsubishi Visitel, but manufactured by Tandberg. I love it!

[@woofgbruk5947]

This would not have looked out of place on CMDR Straker`s desk in Gerry Anderson`s UFO!

[@hiterss]

Hahaha I LOVE YOUR CURIOSITY dialing the numbers, trying to figure out what company could've been 😂😂! Love from Mexico

[@chrisbircham221]

Had one of these in our shop, I finally re-tubed it in 2000 & it still worked fine, everyone thought it was fantastic.

[@quirqq]

1k+ bonus points for the Pop Muzik joke! Does it come with a fresh keytar shoulder strap? Any salacious ASCII art on the casstte? :P

[@victorhugotoledocofre1366]

A new Techmoan video. The perfect way to spice up an otherwise dull Saturday.

[@kevinr.3542]

I like to organize my paper clips on Saturdays but now I have to watch this! I hope my paper clips aren't too disorganized this week. I like to keep the smalls with the smalls, the big with the big, etc

[@GreenAppelPie]

Víctor Hugo Toledo Cofré just as good as Saturday morning cartoons in the 80s.

[@sailaab]

and I thought I was the only lonely one

[@Oldermodels_are_twitchy]

New York, London, Paris, Munich - Thanks for that earworm Techmoan...

[@rkan2]

Everybody talk about... Which version did you get?

[@rkan2]

@@davidjames579 Try google

[@s.kxx1956]

New york, paris, peckham you mean haha

[@TwoWholeWorms]

Damn you, I've been after one of these for ages for a project, and now the bloody prices are gonna shoot through the roof. xD

[@HughRaine]

Thanks for that clean, isolated, royalty free sound effect of a phone ringing! CASHBACK!

[@areyouserious3092]

What a fantastic looking piece of equipment and someone got value for money out of it by using it for over ten years lol. Brilliant video buddie.

[@deadfreightwest5956]

6:26 - You are seriously overdue for that meeting with Chris Canty Kapiti!

[@jasonrfoss248]

Kapiti is in New Zealand and H&S had an office in Wellington New Zealand that serviced that area. Unfortunately Chris Canty is also the name of a fairly well-known American football player so if you Google the name that's all you really get.

[@GVCarroll71]

"Don't be surprised if that doesn't ring a bell." I see what you did there.

[@cubeflinger]

In love with that screen. Right out of alien.

[@reidkeevers]

What a fascinating piece of telecommunications technology, as a Telecom collector/enthusiast I love to see obscure items like this. Interesting to note STC also had a large holding in Australia with their close connection with Telecom Australia (later Telstra) but we never got the Executel, Telecom Australia opted to go with the One Per Desk for their move into desktop computing, rebadging it as the Telecom Australia Computerphone. Also, hats off for the M reference!

[@AnonyDave]

Perhaps his cocaine habit finally took him in '93 🤔

[@lashyndragon]

The keyboard was probably sticky from all the rails he did off of the surface over the years.

[@AnonyDave]

@@lashyndragon Line of coke, then drop his can of coke on the keyboard. *shudders*

[@sophieewohaa]

That's when he became a Conservative MP.

[@ericpode6095]

@@sophieewohaa could be worse, he could have joined Labour. 🙄

[@steviebboy69]

@@lashyndragon Maybe also sticky because of all the Nicotine and Tar residue. Maybe Mr Retromancave can retro bright the thing.,

[@dereksmith7781]

It looks like the video phone they used In aliens! Try calling Wayland Yutani corporate office 😂😂

[@kingcobrajfssepaboosterclub]

Bought out by Walmart

[@photolabguy]

It looks like an Atari 5200 with a keyboard.

[@stevebollinger3463]

It looks like there is some 7800 mixed in there. The colored stripe across it is very much like a 7800.

[@Wflash00]

It looks like a mix of the Timex Sinclair 2068 and the Atari 800xl to me

[@lucidphreak1137]

agree completely... that silver piece with the orange line is also a rip...

[@JeeGee114]

Ti 99 4a

[@alastairbarkley6572]

STC was part of the US telecoms giant ITT - and that's one of the contacts/appointments (can't remember which) left in your Executel's memory. Is it possible your phone was actually used by one of the STC executives - particularly if the units never sold very well? You can imagine unsold Executels being recycled by for internal use.

[@wrestleswithangels]

This had been one of the most fascinating pieces of retro tech that I've seen. Thanks for sharing!!

[@gushiperson]

Look up the AT&T Personal Terminal 510. Touchscreen, computer terminal integrated with phone. Similar idea but wildly different execution. Super rare and I'd love to see TechMoan or Fran Blanche do an exploration of one.

[@mistermatix8241]

Looks like something designed by Bang & Olufsen, their horizontal components had that same look.

[@JimnyVR5]

Please don‘t start calling your secretary the "slave-unit" after watching this...

[@demogorgonzola]

On the other hand, calling Secretary of State a Slave-Unit is quite funny.

[@bland9876]

Is it ok if the secretary is black?

[@SionynJones]

"primary" and "secondary" is the preferred terminology from master and slave. I'll give you that slave and master is a egregious. But you have to remember techmoan makes videos about periods time. That was just the terminology from a old model of communication standards.

[@ukeyaoitrash2618]

@@SionynJones bdsm uses master and slave all the time and were not gonna change lol So yeah depending on context I think the terms are fine

[@shadshowadradna]

"She'll have access through her keyboard and screen..."

[@pkeshish]

This video and device (STC Executel) just became my favorite! :-) The design is lovely. Simply gorgeous. Thank you.

[@goodtimeswerehad]

I worked at STC in New Southgate in the early 90’s and when it became Northern Telecom. I installed PABX systems similar to this called SDX that also had a top end device of this nature. Thanks for a trip down memory lane

[@neonte13]

Man, I really need to get around to rewatching Blade Runner! Actually, I was thinking of Max Headroom, for where it could come from, what with everything having a telly screen. I could totally see Theora talking to Edison, with his camera feed appearing on the phone's screen, then Murray comes in, turns the screen so he can see it, Theora huffs sarcastically before leaning in to see, again. As a bonus, Max could pop up on it, later, and pretend to be an uppity business man.

[@da5idnz]

It looks like something you might have seen in _Space 1999_

[@da5idnz]

@John Stroud With flared trousers :)

[@dashcamandy2242]

"Space: 1999" just randomly began showing up in my recommended videos about a week ago, and I've been on/off binge watching... Yes, it would fit the series nicely.

[@danielstephenson7558]

I like your self realisation at the terribleness of that joke towards the end. Gave me a quick giggle that did.

[@empathicallyyours4937]

Thank you so much for yet another most unique, concise and fully detailed documentary on gadgets of the yesteryears.

[@mattround5071]

No Matt, the 'Pop Music' joke was brilliant!! Thanks for all the great content..

[@stulop]

Yes, that gave me a chuckle.

[@tubester4567]

New York, London, Paris, Munich, everybody talkiin about Pop Music!! The younger kids probably didnt understand that reference. Song is called Pop Muzik by M

[@fordtechchris]

Or those who just don't listen to that style of music.

[@ericwoytasek269]

Happy times!

[@Christopher-N]

This device reminds me that I miss having a pocket electronic organizer. What I don't miss is the hinges on the protective cover failing.

[@avishinka]

Best was calling and sneaking into personal details. Loved that.

[@pk-so1mj]

Weird thing is there was a business here in Australia still using one of these till only a few years ago. It was owned by Plymouth Brethrens, I wondered what it was until seeing this 😆?

[@mcmurdostation7134]

Lol These things are made to last forever and for weird old bosses

[@wojiaobill]

I still remember when call display was introduced. What a breakthrough that was!

[@donmoore7785]

Another outstanding time capsule - you have an amazing talent, finding these pieces of old technology. Then obtaining them, in *great* condition. Then explaining them.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

Oh, my. That pop music joke is not something younger fans of this channel could possibly get. lol But thanks, for getting that song stuck in my head again.

[@aussie8114]

Coincidently I have an appointment set up for midday tomorrow at Kentucky Chicken 🍗

[@trippmoore]

LAZY DOG pick me up a 12 piece bucket with extra mashed potatoes and gravy please.

[@aussie8114]

Christopher Formulak Mmmmmm love their mash and gravy 😋

[@mons.romerodurante8086]

Since KFC stopped using _The Hound_ to promote their chicken products, I have mostly been using Subway.

[@tynewlin]

@@mons.romerodurante8086 That seems a little odd. Did you also go on a Taco Bell strike when they stopped using the chihuahua with a Mexican accent because it was "racist".

[@mons.romerodurante8086]

No. There are no Taco Bells here, I have never seen the advert you refer to and I'm not overly encumbered by political correctness anyway.

[@radry100]

This is extremely amazing for the time it was released.

[@MetalTrabant]

Amazingly fun video! It's like a time travel with all that appointments and names still on the tape, we can sneak-peek into the everydays of a high-fly executive in '93, awesome!

[@robertmahoney3788]

That's one of the best reviews I've seen. Brilliant and fascinating.

[@joejoe3011]

New York, London, Paris, Munich Everybody talk about pop muzik

[@stella-vu8vh]

can't recall the name of this song? help plz

[@joejoe3011]

@@stella-vu8vh "Pop Muzik" by M

[@matthewwilkes6162]

"If that doesn't ring a bell" Groan.

[@juanarellano5511]

This "yellowish" device, was part of the history of the modern office .... A concept, which formed the basis for an industry, with a focus on business ... A piece of unique and special history .... ( If the calendar does not work at a date greater than 1993, it is why the software is NOT updated, this, and the battery of the real time clock (RTC) that was sulphated "battery Rotten"). good video, greetings from Mexico

[@politicaltrucker5269]

Idk what it is but I love your videos. Once I start watching I can’t stop till the end

[@francisfarmer6005]

U r my fav geek/dork on the whole internet! Much Love

[@ericwoytasek269]

Misses-a Wiggens, you come in here right-a now. I can't figure out how to use this darn-a thing!

[@sweethomeboston2720]

Beautiful! ROFL! Here's the original Tudball/Wiggins intercom sketch in case you didn't look it up kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXq9cmqdnd2KeLM Loved the way she would always wind him up and bust his ______

[@ericwoytasek269]

@@sweethomeboston2720 Lol! Thanks!

[@dadadaddyoo]

Thanks for the Carol Burnett reference! Really takes me back, in a good way.

[@rvenden]

Old technologies are so interesting. Thank you for your work! I love your videos and sense of humor. Roger in Wisconsin

[@adankseasonads935]

That was so fun to watch. Thanks again for another awesome trip into the past. This episode, the past was the year of my birth 1984.

[@Brookspirit]

I'd love to see you do a review of the Seiko UC-2000 Wristwatch Computer, it was from the same period.

[@leisergeist]

Well that's fascinating! ViewData... I bet someone savvy enough could write a bridge on a Raspberry Pi to connect that with some social media, lol.

[@Wilson84KS]

That thing is so cool, keeping things original is nice, but in this case I think it would be a shame not to modify it with a rasperry or kinda micro pc, a nice touchscreen, but keep the original look, I really think I would use it, actually I have a pen and some paper close to my phone and sometimes search for number on my smartphone snd call then from the other one, with such a system I could do it all and it doesn't need more more power than an older DECT phone.

[@MrDuncl]

I didn't realise Viewdata was obsolete. Looking on Wikipedia it says "As of 2015, Viewdata was still in use in the United Kingdom, mainly by the travel industry.".

[@leisergeist]

I more meant some sort of external bridge that emulates the original protocols on the phone line, rather than modifying anything, but I don't know if such a thing is even possible... MrDuncl Really? It's actually pretty impressive that it's lasted into the smartphone era!

[@MrDuncl]

@@leisergeist I'm sure it would be possible with a Raspberry Pi, an old modem (not a soft modem) , and a bit of software. Teletext enthusiasts have done something similar to route news feeds into teletext generators.. Regarding travel agents using Prestel, the last time I went in one (over a decade ago) they were running Prestel as an application on a PC. I don't know what the situation is now but I don't think people would be very impressed if they were using the same equipment and websites as the general public.

[@leisergeist]

MrDuncl D'oh, if they just use a regular old modem that'd certainly make it easier. In my mind I was over complicating it by thinking of how Teletext works for some reason.. I'll go ahead and blame that on late-night-brain, since I'm *totally* not a moron /s Wouldn't seem too daunting as long as the protocol is documented out there...

[@stevec00ps]

My dad once worked for STC in Basildon, Essex. I remember him telling me it stood for "Sod The Customer" :)

[@johnmichaelrichards]

Heidrick & Struggles is an established 'headhunting' recruitment company, particularly for executives. In the late 80s I worked for a company called Thomas Engineering, specialists in psychometric analysis, and I was contracted out to companies such as H&S to undertake psychometric analysis of prospective recruits, which H&S had headhunted for their high-end clients. One of the appointments on your STC 3910 Executel is H&S was established in Chicago in the 50s but had an office in London and agencies around the world. One of the appointments on your STC 3910 Executel (24th February 1993 at 10:30) is a Psychometric Presentation. The psychometric reports for the presentation likely came from Thomas Engineering as we were leaders in the field at that time. Most of the executive jobs were advertised in the Times and Telegraph. High-end clients around the world presented both the need and the finances, for H&S to have such expensive, leading-edge IT equipment. The design is reminiscent of the B&O 2200 music centre I had at the time.

[@Strawberry92fs]

It looks like a phone I'd see in a ridley scott movie. Lol you just said it as I was typing.

[@thedaniespot]

Caboose 92m great minds think alike

[@Popk1ller]

This Telephone will fit perfectly standing nearby an late 80's bang & olufsen stereo system

[@Popk1ller]

@@NuGanjaTron they Made the beocom phones en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeoCom

[@Kochiha]

This is one of the coolest-looking things I've ever seen. I want to build one now, a sort of modern hardware-based version.

[@braelinmichelus]

I truly love stuff like this. True products of their time, used for purposes which have been long replaced or deprecated. The design is also wonderfully 90s, with beige plastic, sharp angles, CRTs, and cassettes. Before computers were populized, that probably would have been a great option of offices, at least an expensive one.

[@ThePiquedPigeon]

> "Smart phone" instead of "smartphone" I see what you did there...

[@dr.python]

You're not a real doctor