Around the same time, I purchased a Novation D-CAT which worked the same way as the one described (plugging in between the phone base and the handset). It was my first modem, and I primarily used it with my Lear Siegler ADM1A terminal (an upper case only terminal made entirely from discrete logic, and no internal CPU).

The late 70's and early 80's was an era of rapid evolution in modem technology. Within a year or two I had purchased a Hayes Smartmodem 1200, and had that connected to one of my CP/M computers.

I purchased several other modems over the years from US Robotics and Hayes. I think I purchased my last one in 1996, which was the year I got ISDN (2BRI).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novation_CAT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lear_Siegler

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayes_Microcomputer_Products

Telco regulations were also why modems used an https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_coupler instead of being directly connected.

As an aside, the em-dash density of this article is one of the highest I've ever seen.

33 years later, Commodore releases a modern phone: The Commodore Callback Flip-Phone https://commodore.net/callback/

That was a brilliant move by the telecom company to sell a huge batch of useless extra phones to poor suckers Commodore.

They are useless because they're identical to the customer's own phone except for the fact they say Commodore.

Commodore made all kinds of wacky stuff back in the day before they concentrated entirely on computers and peripherals. I have a Commodore AM radio and a couple of Commodore wristwatches, chickenhead logos and all, not to mention the calculators and typewriters which were their original bread and butter.

We had similar idiotic regulations in Holland. Most people rented their phone though they did have a plug (albeit a special one we called the pigs nose).

But in the 80s nobody gave a crap anymore and we just connected whatever we wanted. Aftermarket and technically illegal phones were sold everywhere.

This website is so nerdy and so cool!