TIME MACHINE Internet Voice Mail?

[KNERD]

Here is a screenshot from a video recorded at CompUSA in Arlington, VA on August 14, 1998 (the day the iMac was released).




You can see Internet Voice Mail and Internet Phone.


I managed to get some information on them.

Internet Voice Mail (often version 3.0), a software package developed by VocalTec Inc. in the mid-to-late 1990s.


Internet Voice Mail was one of the first consumer applications to bring Voice over IP (VoIP) technology to the masses.
Sold in retail boxes for Windows and Macintosh, it allowed users to:

• Record and Send: Capture voice messages via a microphone and send them over the Internet to any email address.
• Cross-Platform Communication: Enable voice communication between Mac and PC users.
• Multimedia Attachments: Include text notes and file attachments alongside the voice message.
• Cost Efficiency: Bypass long-distance phone charges, requiring only an Internet connection.

The software functioned similarly to an email client but focused on audio delivery, often utilizing early compression technologies to ensure files were small enough for the dial-up connections of the era. VocalTec, an Israeli company, was a pioneer in this space, having previously launched the famous "Internet Phone" software in 1995.


Internet Phone (often colloquially called "iPhone" in the 90s, predating Apple's device) was the world's first commercially available VoIP (Voice over IP) software, released by VocalTec on February 10, 1995.

Key Features & Technology​

The software revolutionized telecommunications by enabling real-time voice calls between computers over the public Internet, bypassing traditional phone networks and long-distance charges.

• Audio Transceiver: The core innovation was a patented "Audio Transceiver" that managed jitter buffering, packet loss, and sample rate adjustments, allowing intelligible audio over unstable dial-up connections.
• Codecs: It utilized proprietary compression (VSC codec) and standard G.711 μ-law to compress voice data into small packets (approx. 10 kbps) suitable for 14.4k and 28.8k modems.
• Functionality: Users could browse a directory of online users, join public "topics" for group chat, or initiate private calls. Later versions introduced PC-to-Phone capabilities, allowing calls to traditional landlines via gateways.
• Security: Calls were inherently difficult to tap compared to analog lines, and later versions supported encryption add-ons.

Legacy & Impact​

Despite suffering from latency, echo, and packet loss typical of early internet connections, Internet Phone was a massive cultural phenomenon.

It was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal and helped propel VocalTec to a successful IPO in 1996, raising $47.5 million. The software laid the foundational groundwork for modern services like Skype, Zoom, and WhatsApp calls

Post-Dot-Com Pivot​

Following the crash of the dot-com bubble in 2000, where its stock had briefly peaked, VocalTec shifted its business model from consumer software to carrier-class infrastructure.

• Strategic Merger: In 2005, the company merged with Tdsoft, a provider of VoIP gateways, to focus on selling hardware and software systems to telecommunications service providers rather than individual users.
• ITXC Spin-off: A significant part of its legacy, the wholesale carrier ITXC Corporation (founded by VocalTec in 1997), was sold to Teleglobe in 2003.

The magicJack Era​

In July 2010, VocalTec executed a reverse merger with YMAX Communications, the creator of the popular magicJack USB phone adapter.

• Rebranding: The combined entity was renamed magicJack VocalTec Ltd. and traded under the ticker symbol CALL.
• Consumer Focus: This move returned the company to its consumer roots, leveraging the low-cost magicJack device which allowed users to make calls over a computer connection to traditional phones.

Final Acquisition​

The company ceased to exist as an independent public entity in November 2018.

• Acquisition: B. Riley Financial, a diversified financial services firm, acquired magicJack VocalTec for approximately $143 million ($8.71 per share).
• Current Status: Following the acquisition, the company was delisted from the NASDAQ and integrated into B. Riley’s portfolio, continuing to operate the magicJack service as a subsidiary.