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Ooma Linx extender makes a visit to the FCC, lets phones go the extra DECT distance
For a VoIP phone company, Ooma has been unusually quiet since it showed us the HD2 handset at CES this January. Thankfully, an FCC filing spotted by Dave Zatz has let slip that the company is getting chattier in the near future. As the helpfully provided manual tells us, an upcoming Linx adapter will let a conventional phone talk to a Telo base station over DECT. The goal is to let Ye Olde Wired Phone in the basement join the 21st century without having to move the Telo or otherwise jump through hoops -- it'll even bring your fax machine onboard, if you're still holding on to 1994. We can't glean from the clearance just when the Linx will be ready to shake the dust from our antiquated phones, but with all the documentation seemingly in order, the wait isn't going to be too long before that landline handset enters the modern world.
Ooma Telo HD, Handset, and iPhone app hands-on
We stopped by Ooma's booth at CES for a quick hands-on with the new HD Telo and some time with the iPhone app. Voice quality on the service was pretty decent, although we did notice a pretty significant bit of lag -- we're assuming things would work better on a quality connection, as opposed to the slammed pipes here on the show floor. The new DECT handset was also quite nice, although it took a second to figure out how to initiate a call. We also played with the iPhone app for a second -- it worked as advertised, although once again we were limited by both the poor network connections on the show floor. It's certainly an interesting concept, though -- we'll have to wait to see how this all works in the home. %Gallery-82934%
Clean out those ears: Ooma's Telo goes high-definition, gets iPhone app
The home entertainment world may have moved on from high-definition everything to 3D everything, but the telco industry is a little bit less bleeding edge, just entering the HD revolution now courtesy of Ooma. The Ooma Telo is getting upgraded and will soon be packing some tidy new features including so-called "Pure Voice" and "High Definition Voice" enhancements, promising to deliver "crystal clear conversations over congested networks" and a "richer, more natural sounding conversation." Also on tap is direct support for calling through Google Voice, Bluetooth support so calls to your celly can be piped through your Telo, and "human-aided" voicemail transcription that we can only assume means some low-wage worker gets to listen to every reminder from your husband or wife to pick up some milk on the way home. Now there's a career opportunity for nosy folks. Full PR after the break. Update: Updated the image to reflect the new Telo.
Ooma Telo hits the streets, handset add-on follows next month
We're not sure how we really feel about Ooma Telo's slick new look (pictured on the right). Sure, it might seem more at home with the rest of our generic home electronics compared to the semi-retro original (left) ... but is that necessarily a good thing? Either way it's out now, and at $250 a pop it's quite a bit more friendly on the wallet than the original Ooma Hub, which retailed for $400 way back when. The big new feature of the Telo is its DECT 6.0 support for working with the upcoming Ooma Telo Handset which will be out next month for $50. Since this is Ooma, all local and long distance calls are free right out of the gate, but a Ooma Premier membership goes for $10 a month and gets you some improved functionality. Two months are included with a purchase of the Telo, and a year subscription gets you a free number porting or a free Telo Handset when it becomes available. Read - Ooma Telo press release Read - Ooma Telo in the wild
Ooma's Telo steps up to DECT 6.0 for free calls across the US
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.
