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I did-- 23 years ago!

kenmacallister 13th Nov 2008

Because laptops already do voice and video chat for free, and Skype links this to phone networks, the VOIP technology is already there. It makes far more sense to imbue cell phones with the capabilities of a laptop-- ala iPhone/RIM Storm/T-Mobile Android and so on.

Back in the days before laptops (1985), I was involved in a project to design a "briefcase computer"- which, at the time, was a revolutionary idea for the public. The unit contained a computer, keyboard, display, fax, printer and a cell phone, which was all new technology at the time. Our closest competitor was the somewhat portable IBM 5150. We made a very expensive (and heavy) prototype, but it all worked.

The problem then was cost. There weren't many people at the time who really needed all that in one box, and we couldn't get the capital for mass-production. I found out years later that the CIA already had briefcases like this long before we did.