I had seen the so-called ‘PTT’ phones (Push To Talk) in the US but hadn’t realised how they worked until reading this article by Ashley Norris. They’re a wonderful combination of past, present & future technologies – walkie-talkies, cell phones, instant messaging, IP telephony.
(I found this, along with many other good things in the past, on the Guardian’s Onlineblog.com which is maintained by Neil McIntosh. Recommended.)