Did you ever get home phones that can send emails in the States? We had them about 15+ years ago, made by Alan Sugar's Amstrad - they didn't xactly set the world or the public alight! In the UK Payphones in the street had the ability to send email too.
The thing that amazes me is "Minitel" it was rolled out in Brittany, France in 1978 and had been rolled out to the rest of Metropolitan France by 1982 - it was effectively a pre www home computer network, a "videotex" online service with which users could reserve train tickets, do shopping, check stock prices and send email and live chat. Always wondered why it never got tried in the UK, or elsewhere in Europe - they shut the service in 2012, but even in 2009 there was still around 10 million users.
Minitel - Wikipedia
How come Teletext failed to take off in North America? The UK had it from the early 70's, its that thing where you click a button on your tv remote, and access pages of text, news, weather, and so on - a big popular thing was teletext holidays, people would scroll through waiting for the price to get cheap enough then phone a number and book/pay by card.
Teletext - Wikipedia
I wonder if many North Americans still believe that the UK only has 4 channels
the basic free to view tV system through the aerial has around 60 "proper" channels, a couple dozen shopping ones, 20+ digital radio stations and a load of channels that only work if you have a digital box that connects to the internet - I have never even seen a box for sale that can do that though, so dunno if its really expensive tech, or if its only used by people viewing via a Sky+ digital satellite box, or people who have freeview/digital tv dongles plugged into their pc/laptop.
The worst thing about growing up at a time when we only had 4 channels, wasn't only having 4 channels, it was the fact that by about 1 or 2am there would be an awful "patriotic" transmission with Englands anthem,God Save the Queen and fluttering Union flags then they would all go off air!
Years ago there was a scandal in the local paper, a newcomer was making a fuss because there was a union flag being flown upside down, people were shocked - nobody knew there was even a union flag flying in the town!!
Generally around here, you will only see 4 flags flying, the Welsh Flag, the EU Flag, the St David's Flag and the personal standard of Owain Glyndwr, the last Prince of Wales. Mostly, you only see Owain's standard being flown on houses, windows, gardens etc in North Ceredigion and North Wales, I havent really seen it anywhere on my infrequent visits to South Ceredigion, and I doubt that most people in South Wales would even know what it was - all his battles were in North Wales, North Ceredigion and the Mid Wales/English Borders.