Amstrad offers video calls

Video calls and two-way picture messaging are new features with the third incarnation of Amstrad's e-mailer digital telephone.

The Amstrad E3, which includes a colour screen, lets you make video calls with other e-mailer owners on a pay-as-you-go basis.

According to Amstrad, the videophone images are not TV quality but will be to "the maximum quality that the current generation of videophones will afford".

As well as video calls, the E3 also lets you send and receive emails, access the internet, send and receive picture messages to mobile phones or PC owners, play games, download ringtones and has a built-in digital camera so you can send photos via email.

The phone, which costs £99 or £179 if bought as a pair, will initially only be available through Dixons Group stores. The second model, the e-mailer plus - which offers emails, faxes, digital voicemail and SMS text messaging - is also still available at £29.99.

As well the cost of the voice call, it costs 50p to make a video connection, an email session costs 15p and you pay 25p per email with photo attachment. All costs appear on your telephone bill.

Amstrad's commercial director Simon Sugar said: "The E3 is the result of detailed research into customer needs. We can now offer consumers reliable email, voice, internet, SMS, MMS, photo sending and video call services all in one affordable and easy to use device".

"At a retail price of around £99 the Amstrad E3 is a very compelling proposition and is a significant step towards bringing video phone functionality to the mass market."