Bang & Olufsen BeoCom 5 landline: all the cool kids have one
By Laura June 
posted October 21st 2009 1:42AM
posted October 21st 2009 1:42AM
[Via Acquire Mag]
posted October 21st 2009 1:42AM
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Woah, does it have a screen?
Landline?
I can't want to get an Atari 2600!
clearly they wasted too much time designing this.
Whusaaaaaaaaaa.........Hang on let me get Dukie..................................
So prolly $500 for a phone to use with my MagicJack. I guess the $500 I save on an overpriced landline plan I can blow on this phone. The exact opposite of a cellphone plan.
Sly Copper was the best game ever, but you fail for being an apple fan.
Maybe this is a "Euro" thing that's beyond me, but I cannot fathom how this company is still in business. I know. Every so often Engadget will have some uber-new looking TV or other home entertainment doodad made by B&O, but the prices are insane (even more so than Bose) and there is no possible way their stuff can out-perform the best Asian hardware. The designs are more weird than cool, pushing the envelope to get noticed but doing nothing for real ergonomics. Who buys this stuff?
your username says it all...
on another note, I know this idea is far out there, but what if phones could play cassets? And be portable? That, my friend, would be a revolutionary period!
Most people have stopped using a landline? Uh, not even close.
I was gonna say...way to put the geek blinders on and ignore the fact that the vast majority of households in the US still have a landline.
From the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/wireless200905.htm
You'll notice that roughly 80% of adults live in households with a landline, and only ~18% have cellular-only phone access.
While the trends do suggest we'll get there eventually, cellular-only as a norm is far from reality today.
B&O products are three things, and this doesn't begin to cover it.
One, they are what they are. Phone, speaker, TV, whatever. Simple enough, no?
Two, they're part of a complete system. I can use my B&O phone to control my speakers if I so choose. I do it often, actually.
Three, they're works of art. I mean, come on. Look at them. These are the forms that will be getting copied ten years down the road.
They're extremely expensive, and certainly not for everyone. I'm a designer, I place an emphasis on design most people don't, but I don't accept compromises on performance. To me, the combination is worth the premium. I personally love every single B&O product I own, but YMMV.
I dont get the bitching either, people are willing to pay 700-800 euro for a jezusphone but this.. is considered expensive? Design for whatever it is comes at a price and adding a bit extra to the price creates a certain feeling of exclusiveness. I still use landlines all the time and I for sure could see a sexy phone endup in my hallway. I do hope its a bit more comfortable to use then the previous B&O phone since i felt they tend to emphasize a bit to much on design instead of ergonomics.
So, you are saying you own a bunch of expensive pieces of crap? Also, that your Idea of design is expensive, literal, crap.
Old skool...
So you are saying that our United technology is better than yours and that you are bitter about it? Get over it, its expensive crap on old technology, you shouldn't pay whatever you pay for it, period.
Most people don't use landlines even in our country. And that's something, considering that we are on the eastern borders of the EU :) But OK, it's nice piece of antique electronics..
whoa...
the world of tomorrow is here today...
....can it play quake?
It isn't really that great of a design. I'd rather one of their older phones sitting on my desk than that one.
You pick this topic to make a point about Engadget bias? I'm not sure how you can criticize them for having an Americanized view, since, that's kinda their market. Considering most on here should be gadget-hounds, I don't see how making fun of landlines (if you think they're being serious you really need to stop and try to understand humor) is an issue either.
And just WTF at the other stuff.
B&O's design is not all that noteworthy, and is hardly being extensively copied (if anything you can make the case that they've certainly copied plenty of design ideas from others). I'm not saying its bad, but its certainly not worthy of the high prices. I guess if you've got the money to burn and like their style, go for it, but you can get pretty much as good of design with better usability for much less in most of the instances I've seen (as for controlling things with a phone, I assume you haven't been reading the multitude of articles about say the iPhone doing just that). For that reason I'd say they might rank even above Bose in the "if you don't know any better" department, although in several instances I definitely have to wonder how you wouldn't know better.
what is this post
Wonder why all these overpriced crap Euro car manufacturers from yesterday like Audi, Aston Martin and Mercedes - AMG choose something as backwards as B&O to put in their retro outdated cans. I cannot fathom how these companies are still in business, the prices are insane (even more so than Acura). There is no possible way their stuff can out-perform the best Asian hardware like the Subaru Impeza. I mean, who buys this stuff?
Nobody give a crap that you can't fanthom how they stay in business let alone kick ass at it. They're still highly profitable companies that are making mad money... your lack of market foresight is your shortcoming not theirs!
Whoosh
You do realize that comparing cars from companies like Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Audi to the Subaru Impreza is just plain stupid? They are designed to appeal to completely different buyers. Subaru builds great cars but they appeal to entirely different customer base then an Aston Martin or Mercedes. You may as well be comparing Orange Chicken and NY Strip Steak, what's the f'n point? Which is better depends on the tastes of the customer.
Double Whoosh!
I lol'ed pretty hard. It's amazing to me how people who read Engadget are supposed to be "gadget lovers," yet can't fathom that there are differing levels of quality, ESPECIALLY in our section of the Universe. Some things are just better because they're better, and you will never know until you try it. They can accept a car that costs $90,000 as being better than one that costs $20,000 but if the electronic item they're looking at is more than what they have/can afford, it's immediately "overpriced." How about something else like watches? Does a Panerai tell time better than a Timex, or Swatch? No, it doesnt (its actually worse, especially if you don't wind it when you're supposed to). But it costs a HELL of a lot more for other reasons. Does a steak at Peter Luger's cost more than a steak you bought from Costco and grilled at home? About 10x more. Is that overpriced? These mysteries will never be solved, I'm afraid. Anyway, I'd better get back to my Chinese-built LCD I picked up on sale at Newegg. It only cost me $550, and it's performance is way better than any other TV out there. I've never really seen any other TVs in action, but someone on the internet told me it's better. And the spec sheet says the contrast ratio is 5,000,000,000:1. I also have a fancy new Vtech phone I bought from BJ's. It was only $79 for 4 phones!!!!! What a value! It also says on the box that it has Advanced Digital Range Super High Definition Surround Sound Technology. So I have that going for me....
You do realize an AMG mercedes could tow a subardu WRX down the 1/4 with 3 passengers faster then the fart can equipped, teenager driven version can do itself?
I'm all for crying about the insane premium on AMG benz and M series (5/7 not 3) BMWs, but only because I can't afford one, not because I don't recognize that those who are financially successful deserve to be rewarded for it with amazing hardware.
The E55 AMG would rip the doors off of any Japanese sedan out there, which is why it costs so much more, but you said price wasn't in the equation.
I think people confuse "useless" and " junk" with "I can't afford it and I'm too immature to admit it, so I'll trash it to feel better about myself."
Don't worry, I'm sure that Iphone you bought on your 3rd credit card impresses all the other multi mortgage parents at the PTA meeting...
Whoosh, whoosh aaaaaand whoosh.
See below and above, aaaand I thought E65 AMG is where it's at...
Who buys this overpriced, over-designed tat?
#Tim
European cars are world wide known for quality tested cars, so compared to US manufactored cars, It has always been recommended to buy European cars instead, so if you consider european cars to be crap, i don't dare to think what the US cars are in comparison.
Being from Denmark where B&O is from, I will agree that their prices are not in touch with reality, but calling B&O for crap, tells more about you speaking out of your ass then what you actually know.
I think the expression "whoosh!" would feel appropriate here...
'sarcasm' re lens42 comment above. I drive a Mercedes AND have B&O stuff...
Oh well, damned, i guess i should have assumed you were sarcastically replying to someone 10 comments above and forgot to mention who... never mind. :)
No problem, the comment above was so daft, I thought I had to replicate it. Pointing to it would have defeated the purpose of baiting and defeated the sarcasm ;-)
I'd buy it, if I could afford it, and if it's as good as the Beocom 2400... I love that phone. Incidentally, it's one of the few brands sold here in Holland that allows my dad to use the telephone coil built into his hearing aids.
LOL! No way will I ever waste my money on B&O Products again. Ive had their last three phones - all failed after 18 months- 24 Months, they have terrible tech support and even worse customer service.
B&O meaning quality is the same as saying the French are good Lovers - the root cause is rumour and propaganda
I can't comment on whether the phone is useful or not - but I loved the review - I laughed out loud.
# lester.stone:
I agree with your first part.
Second part, I do not. As far as B&O design goes, they're pretty much alone in the electronics realm. Yes, they have borrowed design influences for some of their products, but it was NEVER from the electronics sector. They borrowed from iconic pieces of designer furniture, cars, architecture, art, etc, but that's because they use freelance designers, not in-house people. So influences will come from many different places, just not the electronics world. They have constantly been copied. Remember that POS 4-disc changer from Sharper Image? Taken from the BeoSound 9000. Definitive Technology Mythos floorstanding speakers? Almost exact replicas of BeoLab 6000's (different bases). And here's one that's gonna get me yelled at: The Apple Wheel? They did stuff like that YEARS ago. They also had touch-sensitive glass panels 20 years ago, multi-room audio 25 years ago, and a wireless remote 35 years ago. There isnt one piece of Bang & Olufsen electronics that was influenced by another company's electronics design. Controlling the audio/video systems with a phone? They had that over 10 years ago with their desk-mounted landline phones. Two-way communication with a touchscreen remote? Did it back in the late 80's/early 90's with the BeoLink 7000 (the remote also motorized up from a rest position). Wall-mounted Hi-Fi systems? Did it in the 80's, everyone else is doing it now. The list goes on and on and on.
If anything, they've consistently pushed ALL the envelopes of design concepts when it comes to CE, often being decades ahead of the curve. The one thing people need to realize is they've been around for 85 years, and only broke into the US market in the 80's. They have 60 years of envelope pushing that the vast majority of Americans and younger Europeans (including pretty much ALL of the Engadget writers/readers) have never even seen. And design is more than the overall look of the product, you have to take into account materials, build-quality, and fit and finish. When it comes to that, there are only very few other companies that can do that, without being in the hand-made audiophile sector. Are they expensive? Unfortunately yes, but as an overall product it's hard to beat, or even compare to others because they typically are more than just a phone or a TV. It's a concept.
Wow, I just wrote a lot, didnt I? Sorry, I just figure that people should be informed before making comments like that. Yours wasnt nearly as bad as that other guy, but I had to say something.
I don't know if you actually bought real B&O, but their tech support and customer service has been nothing short of expected for the cost of entry for me. At least they have the technology to back up their claims of performance, unlike Bose. They disclose their power outputs, they show their factory, they show the drivers on their website. They full-out acknowledge that their equipment is meant to work with itself primarily, but when you see it work together, it's incredible. It all works without having to rely on HDMI handshakes and RS-232 headaches.
Not to mention several other high-end audio products wouldn't be in existence were it not for Bang & Olufsen's research in the Class-D amplifier technology with their brand ICEPower. Pioneer, for starters, wouldn't have half of its AV receiver line.
But to keep on topic, their customer service is excellent, I think you're just unlucky or were being unreasonable to deal with :)
Wow I don't even know how to say this, but landlines are far from dead.
A landline and the cheapest pre-paid cell phone plan I can find is all I need.
And I'm a geek. Landlines aren't going anywhere as long as carriers are ripping off customers, as long as I have to charge the stupid thing every few hours and as long as I have an excuse for missing your stupid call.
reminds me of a nokia brick i once owned, what next the 1 million pound b and o bentley!