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Apr 22, 08 - 10:44 am Comment from: Cubert

Star Trek-style video calls on the iPhone are a-comin'.

Apr 22, 08 - 10:50 am Comment from: eMax

Star Trek never used video calls on their hand held communicators. All video calls in star trek were via the ships comm system.

Apr 22, 08 - 10:52 am Comment from: Jim - TIV

gonna be 2nd gen iPhone only, unless they come up with a handy mirror thingy to redirect the video feed from the camera. dang.

Course.... I COULD give this phone to the wife when he moto dies and get a new one.

that's the ticket.

Apr 22, 08 - 11:00 am Comment from: Jim - TIV

emax.... you must now return your official geek membership card, and turn in your horn rimmed glasses with your pocket protector.

In the original series, there was video with the original hand held communicator. I'm so disappointed!

;-p

Apr 22, 08 - 11:00 am Comment from: ChrissyOne

Star Trek did have handheld video calls. You're thinking of Electra Woman & Dyna Girl.

Apr 22, 08 - 11:02 am Comment from: ChrissyOne

@ Jim - TIV

The original series also had Klingons that looked and sounded like Liberace.

@eMax

Correct, except in the original Menagerie pilot, (and thus in two episodes of the original series), they had a scene with a video on on of the communicators/tricorders I believe.

In any case I think the other poster is thinking of Space 1999 which had video communicators as a main feature.

@ChrissyOne

The "Liberace" guy you are thinking of is the "Tremaine" character who dressed like a 17th century gentleman and was the template for "Q" in the later series'.

The same actor played one of the Klingons in a couple of shows, but not in the same "Liberace" style. Klingons were tough-guys even before the bumpy heads of the next generation.

Apr 22, 08 - 11:20 am Comment from: Cubert

Ahhhhh, my geek cred restored!

Apr 22, 08 - 11:23 am Comment from: NeonRed

MDN=StarTrek trivia savants

Apr 22, 08 - 11:28 am Comment from: iamdj

I could have sworn there was an episode of ST:OS that should a video communication on the hand held.

That may have been Spock tinkering with a communicator from the episode where they are stuck in the past.

Apr 22, 08 - 11:34 am Comment from: The Other Steve

Now that SMS will have competition, you will start to see reduced rates for SMS and the phone companies pushing their (now suddenly) cheeper unlimited plans.

It's about freaking time they had some competition!

Apr 22, 08 - 12:07 pm Comment from: Jim - TIV

@C1 - The klingons were kinda wussies in the original series we're they?

Cubert.... I'm here for ya man.

Now... back to repairing my toaster/B&W;TV/FM Radio, where's my soldering iron?

Apr 22, 08 - 12:08 pm Comment from: Jim - TIV

Freudian slip?

should have been "weren't they"

sorry - i never watched the original series (too crappy looking) so i don't know about handheld video communicators... the 4 new series didn't have them though. Gene Roddenberry's EFC had them though - really cool looking gadgets.

Apr 22, 08 - 12:30 pm Comment from: iWill

One could easily imagine a time in the not too distant future when video becomes as ubiquitous on phones as audio is.

Its about time too! I remember a time in 1964 seeing the "Picturephone" demonstrated by Bell Telephone at an exhibit in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

44+ years in the making. I'm ready already!!

See the history here:
http://www.porticus.org/bell/telephones-picturephone.html

Space 1999 is the show that had the hand held video comm doodads.

The show was about 'Moon Base Alpha' that got flung into space following earth's destruction. Brilliant show.

Another aside: Douglas Adams' sci-fi writings all involved Earth's destruction, HHGG being the best example of course. He had another short film made where a chap jay walks or does something equally insignificant, and after the police get him it all escalates into world annihilation.
It featured Simon Jones, who played Arthur in HHGG.

And now back to Mac news...

Apr 22, 08 - 02:20 pm Comment from: ElderNorm

@Jim,
"gonna be 2nd gen iPhone only, unless they come up with a handy mirror thingy to redirect the video feed from the camera. dang."

They already have one of those on the market. It snaps on the top over the lens and then the lens sees you.

en

Apr 22, 08 - 02:26 pm Comment from: Ampar

I'm ready for a videophone as long as it doesn't show Klingons circling Uranus.

Apr 22, 08 - 02:29 pm Comment from: Olmecmystic

Tremaine! He did end up playing a Klingon later! Wasn't that him on the "Trouble With Tribbles" episode?

Man, am I a Star Trek geek too?

Peace.
Olmecmystic

Apr 22, 08 - 02:42 pm Comment from: TheConfuzed1

I remember "Trouble with Tribbles." Warf was asked how that 'human' looking guy could be a Klingon, and he said it's something they don't speak of. An explanation was never given.

What's Star Trek?

Apr 22, 08 - 06:51 pm Comment from: Ampar

"What's Star Trek?"

The long, long journey back from rehab.

@Space Out

The moon in Space:1999 wasn't flung out of orbit by the destruction of the Earth.
MoonBase Alpha began its journey when stockpiled nuclear waste, stored on the moon itself, exploded, hurtling the moon throughout the cosmos.

Hey, come on Peeps, does no-one remember Dick Tracey's video watch. That was way cooler than a video phone.