viewphone n.

a telephone that allows caller and receiver to see one another; = videophone n.

Communications

  • 1932 R. Z. Gallun Revolt of Star Men in Wonder Stories Quarterly Winter 228/1 page image Raymond Z. Gallun bibliography

    When Shelby reached his apartment, he immediately donned his laboratory smock and set to work. But he had scarcely finished mounting a tiny coil of wire within the hand-grip of his weapon, when the view-phone bell rang insistently. The inventor pulled off his smock and threw it over the materials on his work bench, so that the person at the other end of the view-phone connection, whoever it was, would not be able to see them. Then he snapped the television and audio switches. The mists in the view-plate cleared, and there before him, as real as though he were actually in the room, sat Hekalu Selba. The Martian’s eyes gleamed with suppressed excitement.

  • 1942 Astounding Science Fiction Aug. 31/1

    He cut in another viewphone circuit. ‘Get me Chief Engineer Stevens at North American Power-Air,’ he said sharply.

  • 1942 Astounding Science Fiction Aug. 32/2,

    I mean that he will not talk over the viewphone under any circumstances whatsoever, to you or to anyone. He says that he is sorry not to accommodate you, but that he is opposed to everything of that nature—cameras, cinécams, television, and so forth.

  • 1964 F. Pohl Children of Night in Galaxy Magazine Oct. 187/2 Frederik Pohl

    And I turned off the viewphone, got up and walked out, leaving the others gobbling into emptiness behind me.


Research requirements

antedating 1932

Earliest cite

Raymond Z. Gallun, Revolt of the Star Men

Research History
In OED2, with earliest cite of 1964: this cite was actually to a reprint in a 1966 Frederik Pohl collection, "Alternating Currents". Fred Galvin verified the cite in the original story, "The Children of Night", from Galaxy, October 1964.
Fred Galvin submitted a cite from a 1959 reprint of Robert A. Heinlein's "Waldo" and Mike Christie verified it in its 1942 first publication.
Fred Galvin submitted a 1932 cite from Raymond Z. Gallun's "The Revolt of the Star Men".
OED3 currently has the 1932 Gallun cite.

Last modified 2020-12-16 04:08:47
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.