Photos of NTT's IP videophone

The first prototypes of NTT's broadband videophone (see our first post for details) have been unveiled. Looks like it's doing a moderately good job of living up to those dreams that the airbrushed concept drawings inspired in our fevered heads. Major new details are that the unit includes web-browsing and email, plus USB ports for add-ons such as a forthcoming external keyboard.

Big problem, though, is that NTT has slapped a price tag on the unit that dooms it from the start: Y65,000-Y70,000 yen. If this were repackaged into something a little more feature-rich--perhaps a smaller unit with a more PDA-like slant to it and built-in WiFi, that could be used outside as well--we could maybe see it working. But who's going to pay $600 for what is, in effect, a jazzed-up home phone with a screen?

[Read: NTT's IP Video Phone Prototype Unveiled]