Back in the early 80s a man by the name of Geoff Goodfellow had an idea: to relay electronic mail from Arpanet to his alphanumeric pager.

ENGADGET: Geoff Goodfellow, early inventor of wireless email, profiled

Despite the cost of the equipment, the setting was modest: a 20 by 20 workroom containing a communications relay rack and several mismatched tables full of electronic equipment.

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