“It’s not uncommon to come across gadgets on eBay that never made it to market, but this is certainly a unique find,” Ryan Heise reports for The Verge.

“Seller ‘russel400′ has posted a prototype of Apple’s unreleased WALT, or Wizzy Active Lifestyle Telephone,” Heise reports. “In 1993, right around the same time as the Newton came out, WALT was to be a companion for a home phone. Like the Newton, it had a touchscreen, stylus, and handwriting recognition.”

Heise reports, “However, that’s where the similarities ended. WALT was apparently designed closely with BellSouth, and offered an integrated address book, caller ID, custom ringtones, fax services, and even access to online banking. It also ran a stripped down version of System 6 with a HyperCard GUI replacing the finder. Clearly the device was ahead of its time. Sadly, or perhaps mercifully, WALT never saw the light of day beyond prototyping… It can be yours for the price of 16 new [entry-level] iPads or $8,000.”

More info and photo in the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Jax44" for the heads up.]