RCA Cell Docking System merges cellphones and landlines
We like the idea of tools that let us merge our cellphone and landline into a single device — especially since we're still not at that long-awaited point where we can ditch the landline and go cell-only (and, yes, we know some of you will say forget the landline and go Skype-only; sorry, this time we're talking about tools for "mainstream" consumers). The latest attempt at blurring that line is the RCA Cell Docking Station from Thomson. The system basically uses two cradles — one for your cellphone and one for your landline handset — and transfers all cellphone functions to the latter unit. You can make and receive calls using either phone, which lets you do things you can't do with basic call-forwarding tools — like using your cellphone's unlimited weekend minutes without swapping handsets. David Pogue of The New York Times checked it out, and found that the $130 system delivers the goods in most cases (as long as you have decent cell reception at home — and a compatible phone), though he found a few minor flaws, including lousy industrial design and the need to press a specific button to choose which line to answer. To those, we'd add one more: we'd like the option to swap handsets, so that we can use our cellphone to answer landline calls — we don't have Bluetooth or PDA functions on our landline and would much rather stick with our cell.
