LIFE WILL BE SIMPLIFIED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 160, 19 April 1949, Page 3

LIFE WILL BE SIMPLIFIED

Machine Answers Telephone

UNIQUE RECORDING DEVICE

(By Louis Hunter.—Reuter Correspondent) NEW YORK.

Life for the small business man in America is expected to be simplified somewhat by the imminent arrival on the market of a device which will answer his telephone in his own voice and take a message if he is out of his shop or office. '

This unique portable magnetic recording device is named the Telemagnet, and will sell for 198.50 dollars. It is one of three new wire recording products being marketed by the Mohawk Business Machines Corporation of New York. Tele-magnet actually answers the phone with the owner’s own voice when he is absent. No wires or attachments are used in conjunction with the telephone itself, however. The device is designed for use with the French cradle-type telephone. This is how it operates: When the telephone rings a second time, the connection is made by “lifting the receiver” automatically, which simultaneously starts a gramophone record containing instructions to the caller in the owner’s voice. These instructions explain that he is not in the office'and directs the caller to, leave a message with the Tele-magnet at the sound of a chime signal. The machine will take messages of arjy pre-ad justed length, but it is recommended to be set to record messages for a pe'riod of 30 seconds. Tele-magnet will record each message as it comes in so that the owner will know how, many calls have been received in his absence. Suggested applications for the device include use in homes, professional offices, small businesses, grocers and various public agencies.

Sound With Sound The second wire-recording product, the Sound-magnet, is unique in that it can mix sound with sound. What this means is that a user could sing aloud with a popular dance band record played on the machine, while the voice and background music are being recorded simultaneously. The company claimed that this is the., only popular-priced recording machine which will do this. It costs 138.75 dollars. , The Sound-magnet will be sold with accessories, which include “Barber shop quartettes” with given parts missing, sound effects and scripts from famous “soap bperas” for group participation at home, and records of sound tracks from motion pictures with some speaking parts_ blanked. out. This product is also equipped with a public address system and a turntable for playback and recording of gramophone records! The'unit is capable of recording two-way telephone conversations and broadcasts directly from the radio.

The third product which the company is marketing is the Voice-mag-net, The manufacturers claim that this instrument will record more than an hour’s dictation, yet sell for considerably less than the standard dictating machine now on the market. While the rolls of wire may be used indefinitely simply by erasing the sound track from the stainless steel wire, some users may wish to file a message permanently. Retail prices for these wire spools are listed at five dollars for the length required for an hour, three dollars for a half-hour, and two dollars for a quarter-hour. Compafty officials declare that this is a low cost compared with the price of recordings to-day.