An Idea That’s Been Difficult to Picture

They’re back! Since the 1964 World’s Fair, where Bell Laboratories demonstrated its futuristic Picturephone, the company has periodically tried to sell the idea, but consumers resisted the notion of being seen when using the phone.

8x8 Inc., however, a Santa Clara-based manufacturer of multimedia communication systems, is clicking along with two sleek new models. The ViaTV Desktop ($649) has its own display screen, and the ViaTV Set-Top ($399) utilizes the TV screen. Both plug into a regular analog telephone outlet.

8x8 expanded into videophones about two years ago and recently announced it had shipped 100,000 phones.

“People are a little hesitant about the intrusion on their privacy,” says marketing director Bob Gulino. “But they had the same fears when the telephone was first introduced. We think it’s a matter of getting used to it. It’s a more personal, detailed level of communication.”

Many shoppers buy a pair, he said. “Grandparents love them for talking to their grandchildren.”

The phones are carried at Best Buy, Fry’s, CompUSA, Staples and OfficeMax.