[dhimes]

OT, but: As I recall, it was the breakup of the Bell monopoly which ushered in the new devices. Until then, I don't think you could even own a phone. You had to lease.

I was pretty young then, but I do remember that after the breakup the market saw a rush of new phone devices.

[wrs]

It's true. In fact, some people still rent their phones. http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/3538

I still have the first phone I ever bought, in 1985 right after the rules changed. (And because it was made by Western Electric in the good old days, it still works!)

[jonprins]

Not really. The breakup of the Bell monopoly helped, but Hush-a-Phone vs. US helped set the stage for competing long distance carriers like MCI. It set the stage for devices like the Carterfone ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carterfone ). Things really didn't take off much until the breakup, because of the monopolistic practices of Ma Bell; even though interconnect was legal, they brought insane market pressure to bear.

[dhimes]

I agree with your last sentence.