About 20 years ago, Apple debuted WALT, the Wizzy Active Lifestyle Telephone, at some long-forgotten trade show never to be seen again. It recently resurfaced in an eBay auction, selling for $8,000.00.
With its grey exterior, WALT resembles just about any ‘90s-era device at first glance. However, the landline phone came loaded with an array of features unprecedented for its time. Sporting a touchscreen interface, the stylus-equipped WALT also offered handwriting recognition, fax support, caller ID, online banking, and a speakerphone. In a sense, it was one of those bad ideas that eventually led Apple towards its modern successes.
[via Engadget]
