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New VTech cordless can download cellphone address books over Bluetooth

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 29th 2009 at 6:28AM

We've seen plenty of landline phones that can also double as Bluetooth headsets, but VTech's new DS6321-3 takes it to the next level: it can also pull down your phone's address book, meaning you'll never have to remember a number again. Apart from that it's the usual cordless phone stuff, with DECT 6.0, three handsets, and -- they still have these! -- an answering machine, but it's really the Bluetooth stuff that's interesting here, so much so that VTech's even promoting this guy for use in homes without landlines. Should be out now for $100.

UMEC's Android videophone and MID prototypes stray from the beaten path

by Paul Miller posted Sep 6th 2009 at 2:22PM

We've seen plenty of odd Android permutations, but UMEC seems to be striving to do something all its own. It's showing two devices it currently has in the works, one is a videophone / hub / DECT phone / etc. unit (pictured), which might be at home on a countertop, while the other is a brightly hued MID, with similar internal specs but more portable aims. Both are running ARM Cortex A8 processors (like the iPhone 3GS), though there's some significant OS optimization to be done: everything was incredibly sluggish on the videophone, and the MID was locked up at the time we dropped by. UMEC also doesn't have the touchscreen drivers working for either device, though the good news is that they're looking at both capacitive and resistive touchscreens, based on what the reseller that picks these up desires. Luckily, the videophone has USB plugs galore (along with plenty of Ethernet jacks) so we were able to get a quick demo of the device using a mouse and keyboard. The MID also has a full-size USB plug, and both devices sport HDMI out, so the end usage for both of these is really up in the air. Check 'em out on video after the break.

Gallery: UMEC's Android videophone and MID prototypes

Continue reading UMEC's Android videophone and MID prototypes stray from the beaten path

VTech's Bluetooth-packing LS6245 offers "virtual" two-line phone system

by Donald Melanson posted Jul 27th 2009 at 2:24PM

VTech's already teamed up with T-Mobile for the carrier's landline-friendly @Home service, and it looks like it now also has a slightly different solution of its own for folks using both a landline and a cellphone. At the heart of it is VTech's LS6245 base unit, which functions just fine as a standard DECT 6.0 cordless phone all by itself, and can also be paired with a Bluetooth-enabled cellphone to form a "virtual" two-line phone system -- letting you, for instance, take a landline call using the base unit's speaker phone and a cellphone call using the remote-like handset. Those really wanting to go crazy can also add up to twelve handsets to the setup (for $40 apiece), and the base unit itself ($80) will accommodate up to eight different Bluetooth devices paired to the system.

[Via TestFreaks, thanks Vincent D]

Jabra Go 6400 and Pro 9400 with capacitive touchscreen base redefines overkill, want

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 1st 2009 at 6:22AM

Here's what you get when a manufacturer tries to justify a $199 price tag on its newest headsets. The Jabra Go 6400 (pictured above) and Pro 9400 look to be standard noise-cancelling Bluetooth and DECT headsets, respectively, with a multifunction button to answer/reject/redial/mute calls and adjust the volume. However, these headsets are paired with an industry first touch-screen base for call management. The 2.4-inch capacitive LCD displays caller ID, call records, and lets users switch between their mobile, desk, and corporate softphones via a spin of the carousel. Fun sure, and exceedingly geeky, but hardly worth the $199 to duplicate functions already built-in to the headsets or accessible via the displays on the devices it connects to. Then again, these are aimed at office professionals (read: corporations) when they launch in September and $199 is nothing when you're spending someone else's money. DECT configuration pictured after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Jabra Go 6400 and Pro 9400 with capacitive touchscreen base redefines overkill, want

Engadget's recession antidote: win an AT&T TL92278 DECT 6.0 phone!

by Darren Murph posted Apr 23rd 2009 at 12:00PM

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got an AT&T TL92278 Bluetooth-enabled DECT 6.0 home telephone for those of you not quite ready to kick the landline habit. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Big thanks to AT&T for providing the gear!

The rules:

Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) AT&T TL92278 Bluetooth-enabled DECT 6.0 home telephone. Approximate retail value is $89.95.
If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
Entries can be submitted until Thursday, April 23rd, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Full rules can be found here.

Ooma's Telo steps up to DECT 6.0 for free calls across the US

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 7th 2009 at 10:17AM

It's been awhile, but Ooma's next generation release just made its way to CES. The Telo offers unlimited, free VoIP calls over the Internet across the US and features a new, cordless handset offering high-def DECT 6.0 voice, a connected phonebook, mobile transfer, speaker phone and musical ringtones. The kit is expandable to six handsets and judging from the base unit, we're looking at an answering machine as well. Apparently Telo also integrates your cellphone into the mix somehow, something the current Ooma can't do. According to Rich Buchanan, Ooma's chief marketing officer, Telo "helps combine the home phone and cell phone so you can enjoy the benefits of both without any compromises." We'll figure out how once the floor show opens tomorrow. Telo will be available in the first half of 2009 for an undisclosed price.

VTech's new DECT 6.0 telephones are too swank for grandma

by Darren Murph posted Jan 7th 2009 at 5:58AM

VTech's not stopping with just a WiFi radio here at CES -- oh no, it's also introducing a snazzy new DECT line of telephones. Starting with the flagship LS6245, we've got a slim, stylish handset that packs both DECT 6.0 technology and Bluetooth, enabling one person to be on the main handset while a BT-enabled phone taps in as well. The entire lineup features touch sensitive buttons, caller ID, speakerphone, selectable ring tones and a 50-name / number phonebook directory, with the V.Style LS6215 even offering touch tech in the base unit. Each member of the '09 line is priced under $100, and the whole crew should be available for budding seniors in the first half of '09.

Gallery: VTech's new DECT 6.0 telephones are too swank for grandma

T-Mobile @Home gets friendly with your home phone

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 25th 2008 at 12:01AM

Still really attached to that landline phone? Seriously? That's cool, we still love you, and T-Mobile still wants your business. Following a few months of trials, the T-Mobile HotSpot @Home Talk Forever service has mercifully morphed into the simpler "T-Mobile @Home," featuring a Linksys-sourced router that plugs into a broadband connection and allows any plain ol' telephone -- you know, the plug-in kind -- to take advantage of unlimited nationwide calling for $10 a month on top of your regular T-Mobile bill. The so-called "HiPort" router runs $49.99 on a two-year contract, and if you're in the market for a fancy new cordless, they'll sell you a two-handset VTech DECT system for $59.99. No worries when you're ready to hop back into the 21st century, either; the system will happily work with T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home WiFi cellphones, too. Look for the whole shebang to go on sale July 2.

Vtech's IS6110 cordless phone touts QWERTY keypad, IM capability

by Darren Murph posted Apr 14th 2008 at 7:56PM

No need to bust out one of those newfangled smartphones to get your handset-based chat on -- oh no, baby boomers and their offspring can now handle IM conversations via a landline telephone. You heard right, Vtech is getting all extraordinary on us today with the industry's first instant messaging cordless phone, and sure enough, the DECT 6.0 IS6110 features a full-fledged QWERTY keypad to keep those thumbs happy. All that's required is that the phone's base station be connected via USB to a PC, after which users can have free access to MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger. What better way to gently introduce your mother (hint, hint) to this millennium than by dropping $99.95 on this?

Philips busts out a couple yawner VoIP phones

by Paul Miller posted Jan 8th 2008 at 2:20PM

Philips really isn't blowing us away with this pair of VoIP phones, but at least the prices are right and the aesthetics are nice. The VoIP251 (pictured) lets you make Skype calls over DECT 6.0 cordless tech, with a base station that can plug into your PC over USB to get to those sweet cheap-phone-replacement internets. The VoIP151 (after the break) keeps it a bit more basic, plugging straight into your computer with USB. Both phones feature a small built-in display for browsing your contacts, and Mac and PC compatibility. Both phones will arrive in April for $50 and $30, respectively.

Continue reading Philips busts out a couple yawner VoIP phones

VTech launches IS6110 instant messaging phone

by Paul Miller posted Jan 8th 2008 at 11:35AM

Let's just get this out of the way: VTech packed a lot of ugly into the IS6110. That said, the phone isn't too shabby, using DECT 6.0 for call clarity, and supporting AIM and Windows Live Messenger instant messaging. To set it up you just plug the phone into a standard outlet, plug a USB cable into your PC and start LOL'ing all your buddies with abandon. The full QWERTY keyboard and color LCD should make the IM experience passable, but we're guessing this is going to be a price of quality scenario, with parents viewing the phone as a $99 solution to getting the chilluns off the PC for an hour or two so they can get some real work done on Bookworm Adventures. The phone is out in February.

Hands-on with Panasonic's Link to Cell KX-TH1211

by Darren Murph posted Jan 7th 2008 at 10:21AM

Panasonic's Link to Cell KX-TH1211 is quite the interesting piece. Hailed as a "mobile phone accessory that seamlessly connects a Bluetooth enabled cell phone to cordless handsets in the home," this device simply enables users to make and receive cell calls from a home-based phone. Panny talks up its ability to preserve battery life and offer up "better reception," but the real heat comes from the included talking caller ID. Additionally, the Link to Cell is expandable to up to six handsets, and if you've just got to have this little gem, you can snag it in two months for $99.95. Another pic awaits you after the jump.

Continue reading Hands-on with Panasonic's Link to Cell KX-TH1211

GE's latest DECT 6.0 phones feature dedicated GOOG-411 button

by Darren Murph posted Jan 3rd 2008 at 5:08PM

We've certainly seen some fairly interesting dedicated handset buttons before, but it's hard to argue with the functionality of a standalone GOOG-411 key. Apparently, Thomson has teamed up with Google to integrate the "first ever one-touch, auto-dial GOOG-411 button" into over a dozen of its GE-branded DECT 6.0 phones. In case you've been chilling under a stone of late, GOOG-411 is the search giant's "free, voice-activated, business directory assistance service," and it will be within reach on a slew of April-bound home phones. For more details on specific models as well as pricing information, head on down to the read link.

GE readies its InfoLink phones for November

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 20th 2007 at 2:23PM

GE is about to be bringing more good things to life with the launch of its DECT 6.0 phone / phone service called InfoLink. The premise of the technology is simple: instead of switching on your PC or looking at your PDA or mobile phone for basic info (such as weather, stocks, news, etc.) you'd simply pick up your color-LCD-equipped InfoLink phone (the "fourth screen" as they call it) and scroll through the information. The hybrid phones will deliver the goods over your DSL or cable modem, and will carry RSS feeds from places like MSNBC, the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and Homeland Security (for all your terror-alert needs). The InfoLink device will also do more boring things as well, like call-waiting and caller ID, HD-sound intercom, speaker phone, and melody ring tones. The sweet package can be yours in November for $179.99, with additional handsets available for $79.99.

Motorola intros D7 / D8 MOTOLIVN landline phones

by Darren Murph posted Sep 18th 2007 at 8:56AM

Wow, talk about being on a roll. Not even a week after unleashing the awfully-titled TLKR walkie-talkie, Motorola is gettin' even more platitudinal with its new duo of MOTOLIVN landline phones. Both units tout location-free bases, "eco-mode" for saving energy, ten ringer melodies, a built-in speakerphone, and up to ten-hours of talk time (100-hours in standby). The D7 is said to be available in silver with a blue-backlit screen, while the D8 range can be picked up in black or white and comes Skype-enabled for those interested. Both handsets look to be available right now in Germany, and while the D7 starts at €49.99 ($70), the D8 gets going at €69.99 ($97).

[Via Pocket-Lint]