Casio PhoneMate Unveils First Email Phone

Casio PhoneMate announced the
IT-380 E-Mail Link, a telephone answering device that also lets users check
their email.

The IT-380 uses a three-line, 18-character liquid crystal display (LCD) to
indicate unread e-mail messages.

Stephen Knuth, president of Casio PhoneMate, said: “The IT-380 serves as a
powerful filter for e-mail users, who increasingly need to be able to
identify and
act upon important messages. The IT-380 is ideal for those who’d prefer to
avoid the hassle of using their PC to dial up an ISP or online service,
just to
check email. This is clearly a task for which the phone is far better
suited than
the PC.”

One feature of the IT-380 is an alert signal that tells the user when new
email
has arrived by flashing a light. Recipients can view the subject line and
sender’s name–and take appropriate action either by calling the sender or
signing on to their Internet Service Provider.

As an all-digital answering machine, the IT-380 features 14 minutes of record
time, message preview, selective erase and save, skip/repeat messages, and
variable speed playback. A unique Message File feature lets the user save
important messages, separating them from the normal message queue.

The IT-380 will be in specialty retail, consumer electronics and computer
stores in the second quarter of 1998. The estimated street price is expected
to be $149.