The first answering machine in my family appeared in 1995 only. On its small microcassette, I immediately recorded the following message: - - - Hello! The answering machine has a day off today, so the refrigerator is speaking to you. After the signal, kindly leave your groceries, remember to seal the door, and attach a magnet with a message! - - - Based on dual compact cassette recorders, SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. built this answering machine in Japan in 1989. Can you imagine how many incoming messages you can record on two C-120 compact cassettes? The other features of this device are: • Simple One-Touch Control – one button plays your messages and automatically resets to take new calls. • Voice Activated Message Recording. • Ring Delay – set the machine to answer after the 2nd or 4th ring. • Cue and Review Function makes it easy to fast forward or rewind to locate or replay specific incoming messages. • Memo Message – leave a message recorded on the machine for other family members to receive. The flashing call counter indicates that a message is waiting. • Flashing Message Indicator – lets you know how many messages you have received. • Calling Party Control (CPC) – stops the incoming message tape when the caller hangs up, to eliminate the blank space between messages. • Quick Erase Button to erase old messages, or you may save them if you wish. TAS310 cost 399 Dutch Guilder in 1989, approximately equivalent to 300 euros today, after adjusting for inflation.
Remember when everyone used to run to the answering machine when you got home? Around the mid-90's I got a digital answering machine, I'm pretty sure it was a Sony, and it was really nice while it worked. I'll have to look it up and see if there's any photos of it.
