Official Links:
Alcatel and Atlinks have pulled the plug on many of the web pages, particularly the Alcatel WebTouch homepage. But some of the information and pages can still be found on their servers, if you access them directly.
Alcatel WebTouch Guide
Atlinks WebTouch FAQ
Alcatel glossary of Webtouch and Internet terms
Atlinks WebTouch upgrade
Alcatel WebTouch One 'advantages' - This can lead you to other pages as well.
Alcatel WebTouch One user guide - This can lead you to other pages as well.
Places to Buy a WebTouch:
It is virtually impossible to find a WebTouch Plus or Easy models but WebTouch One units can purchased easily despite the fact they have not been made in years.
eBay - The only place to possibly find Plus or Easy models. There are always One models for sale. Most of the time they are unused and 'NIB' ('new in box', as they say on eBay). Remember to search on both 'webtouch' and 'web touch' when hunting.
LuxuShop
Hardware Central
Amazon usually has a WebTouch in their zShops.
What is a WebTouch?
The three WebTouch phones are not Internet phones or IP phones. They do not require a PBX to make calls or a special Internet service provider to access the web. They can't help you make cheap long distance telephone calls. The WebTouch phones are web phones. They provide all the functionality of a traditional home telephone but they also allow you to surf the web and send and receive email. To use, you just need a telephone line and an ISP account (more on ISP's below).
Minitel
In order to truly understand and appreciate the WebTouch you must know about Minitel. What is Minitel you are probably asking yourself? Well Minitel is an early contempory and competitor to the Internet. It started in France by France Telecom in the early 1980's. Minitel is similar to the early amateur Bulletin Board Systems (BBS's) and the commerical CompuServe and Prodigy systems. It still exists today in parallel with, connected to and in despite of the Internet in France. The same can not be said of Prodigy and CompuServe.
The WebTouch was suppose to be a replacement in the late 1990's for the Minitel terminals that every household had in France. Unfortunately for Alcatel, France Telecom deemed it to expensive to deploy to every household at their expense. Although the WebTouch is compatible with many Minitel services and users could buy one to access them, most people stayed with the dumb terminals that France Telecom supplied at no charge.
For more information about Minitel check out the following links...
History of Minitel - A short history of Mintel and Videotex
Facts about Minitel - A brief list of facts about Minitel with some technical information
BBC Article - Minitel still lives on despite the Internet.
Telecom Digest - Some old information about Minitel but it includes U.S. dialup numbers.
Wikipedia - The Wikipedia entry for Minitel.
Other Links:
Visiostencils.com - Get stencils of the WebTouch for Microsoft Visio.
NetZoom - More Visio stencils for the WebTouch.
Wind River - Information regarding the WebTouch Plus' and Easy's browser.
HotJava - Information on the WebTouch One HotJava browser.
MPC823 - Information on the CPU of the One model, originally manufactured by Motorola.
Mickey Town - A vacation place in Florida that rents WebTouch phones to you during your stay.
Amazon.com - Amazon.com's own version of their website with text only to make it easy to shop and buy. Very nice for WebTouch's aging browser.
Press Releases and Articles:
PC World - Article from PC World magazine about US West (now Qwest) deploying the WebTouch to its Internet subscribers.
Webtouch Easy and Plus - Newsletter from Alcatel mentioning the release of the WebTouch Easy and Plus models.
Sun Article - Article written by Sun on the WebTouch.
Some Things You Should Know:
The WebTouch One browser only supports web sites up to HTML 3.2. This effects its ability to view correctly many newer style web sites, particularily the way it handles pop-up windows. The WebTouch Plus and Easy, which have the Wind River browser are better for rendering newer websites but they are still far from current. You will still have problems with sophisticated websites and most pop-up windows.
The browser will not support websites that require 128-bit encryption.
It will not work with AOL or any other ISP that requires proprietary Internet access software. We have tested WebTouch's dialup access successfully with Earthlink, SBC and others. People often say that the phones will not work with AT&T's ISP service because it too requires proprietary software but I did find this site that seems to explain that it can be done. We have not tested it ourselves since we have never had AT&T for dialup service.
You can not use the phone while online to make Internet or IP phone calls. The handset is disabled while online.
Links to Other Almost Forgotten Cool Phones and Web Appliances:
Daewoo Internet TV - This website is crazy about a set-top web appliance.
Aplio User Group - A fan site for another French phone, the Aplio.
Cidco iPhone - A site full of information regarding a phone very similar to the WebTouch. Unfortunately it requires special ISP service, unlike the WebTouch.
Earthlink MailStation - An email only Internet appliance. It is also known as the Cidco MailStation.
3Com Audrey - How to hack the 3Com Audrey, which is an Internet appliance with a strong cult following.
