Landline
Latest
Verizon Hub hands-on and impressions
We had a chance to get our grubby mitts on Verizon's new VOIP / home phone -- the Hub -- and we thought we'd give you a little preview of what's in store if you're planning on busting out the credit card. The device, which we've seen floating around in various forms since January of 2007, is a combo of a cradled wireless handset and 7-inch, resistive touchscreen display. It's an interesting play for a sector of the market that's all but forgotten (and maybe for good reason). If you want to hear some thoughts on the device, follow the bread crumbs beyond the break.%Gallery-43469%
Is our wireless infrastructure a house of high-speed cards?
We've officially gotten ahead of ourselves. Millions of Americans -- and billions of people around the world -- have now entirely ditched landline service in favor of wireless, and for perfectly good reasons: wireless is more functional and entertaining, its uses stretch well beyond voice alone, and like the term "mobile phone" suggests, we can take it with us virtually anywhere we go. What we've failed to consider, though, is that wireless is still in its infancy -- so much so that it's still being wholly gutted and upgraded every few years to take advantage of new technologies and higher data rates, and with that constant churn comes unreliability. When's the last time your POTS provider waxed poetic about a next-generation network?
AT&T cutting 12,000 jobs due to "economic pressures"
AT&T may have about the best selection of choice handsets (smart or otherwise) available in the States right now, and continued iPhone exclusivity has definitely brought a windfall of new subscribers to its wireless division, but Ma Bell wasn't built on cell towers alone. There's still an extensive landline division to support, and it seems the company is leveraging the current economic doldrums to make it a little less so, joining the layoff crowd for the second time this year by shedding a further 12,000 workers (about 4 percent of its workforce), most said to be coming from passé, non-wireless sectors. So, happy holidays, folks -- hope those severance packages get you through the winter. [Via CellPhonesMarket.com; thanks, SK]
TrueCall shall fight telemarketers on the beaches, landing grounds, etc
Telemarketers-turned-inventors from the United Kingdom have started shipping TrueCall (£99.99), a device that acts as an automated secretary on your land line, either forwarding trusted numbers to your phone or answering untrusted numbers with an automated message and shooing them away. When an unrecognized number dials in, TrueCall asks them who they are and then rings you asking whether or not you want to take it. Sure, it's not the most fun way to automatically ditch unscrupulous callers, but we'd like to listen in on the conversation when a robocall reaches this baby -- it'd be like one wall talking to another wall.[Via Slashdot]
AT&T launches HomeManager smart landline phone system
Juicing up landline phones with internet connectivity and large touchscreen displays isn't exactly a new idea, but AT&T's new three-piece HomeManager system might finally bring it into the mainstream. The Samsung-built HomeManager Frame is the highlight, with a seven-inch touchscreen that enables features like visual voice mail, address book synchronization with certain AT&T cell phones, Yellow Pages, and other internet-enabled content like weather and news, while the HomeManager Handset carries a similar interface over to a more traditional form factor with a smaller color screen, and the HomeManager Base serves as the heart of the system. It certainly looks nifty -- the Frame's interface seems nice and quick -- but just as with OpenFrame, we're not really sure who's in that crossover zone between people who want this kind of gear and people who still have landlines. We'll find out soon -- HomeManager is available now for AT&T customers in Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles for $299, with more to follow. Check a quick video hands-on after the break.Read - HomeManager siteRead - 3Screens hands-on
OpenFrame touchscreen homephone goes Atom, gets demoed on video, is still a landline phone
We first saw OpenPeak's OpenFrame home phone at CES, where it was sporting various FreeScale and ARM chips under the hood, but it looks like things have changed in development -- the company has been showing off production-ready units built on Atom chips at IDF. OpenPeak says that the ease of building for IA32 sped up development completely, and that only a fraction of the CPU is being used, giving the product room to grow -- probably a good thing, seeing as it supports open application development, rich services, and syncs with your PC and cell phone contacts and calendars. Of course, that still doesn't change the fact that it's a landline phone, and we're just not certain consumers are really clamoring for a $200 to $300 landline phone -- even it does rock a distinctly familiar touch interface. Anyone going to take the plunge when this thing hits in the first quarter of next year? Read - Wired article Read - Video shown at IDF
IOCELL contents phone logs conversations, sends 'em around the web
Not quite sure why, but we get this whole Get Smart vibe from this thing. IOCELL's contents phone would probably be more suited for a highly covert spy agency rather than your grandmother's home, but we suppose even granny could appreciate the built-in hard drive that logs conversations, plays 'em back and makes remembering things that much easier. Furthermore, the firm asserts that this thing can send completed calls out on the internet should you want to pass along the audio to someone else, and there also appears to be a USB port for possibly offloading those onto flash drives. Heck, it even syncs caller ID information with calls and provides background music during conversations (uh, okay?). Take a wild guess on the price, chances are you'll be fairly close.[Via The Red Ferret Journal]
Budweiser telephone lets you drunk dial, like, for real
We can only hope that the makers of this beer bottle phone actually got Budweiser's permission before slapping its logo on there, but regardless of all that, who can deny the awesomeness here? Okay, so you've got to be "that guy" for it to take your breath away, but we know you're out there somewhere, that guy. Aside from looking like a cold one, it pretty much handles everything else a hamburger phone (or similar) would, but at least this one doesn't require prior knowledge of Juno to be appreciated by your tipsy pals. Get your inebriated dialing on now for just $16.99 delivered.[Via CrunchGear]
25 percent of European households shun landlines for mobiles
Though just over 10 percent of wireless Europeans are allegedly riding the 3G wave, the picture's looking a lot prettier when you compare the adoption rate of mobiles to their tethered equivalents. A survey commissioned by the European Union suggests that roughly 24 percent of households have moved exclusively to cellphones to take care of their telecom needs -- while Finland, Nokia's home turf, came in at a staggering 61 percent. In general, former Eastern Bloc countries are racking up a much higher incidence of mobile-only behavior, apparently because governments have found it easier to concentrate on building out wireless networks rather than a landline infrastructure that could see limited use (in-home broadband excepted, though that's another story altogether).[Via textually.org]
Vodafone Station brings FMC service to Italy
Truth be told, Fixed Mobile Convergence still isn't talked about much (comparatively speaking) 'round these parts. Yeah, we've seen a few FMC routers scattered about, but Vodafone's taking a stand by rolling out its Station in Italy. The box, which was developed in cooperation with Huawei, is an integrated switch / router with ADSL2+, WiFi, UMTS / HSPA (via a removable USB key) and four Ethernet ports. Essentially, it's designed to combine voice with fixed and mobile broadband services, and it enables users to make calls on their handset through a fixed line connection when they're kicking back at home. We're also hearing that the device will eventually make its way to other Vodafone markets, but there's been no word yet on future rollout dates.[Via GigaOM]
Cellphone-only households on the rise, landlines crying a river
Hold everything -- did you have any idea surging cellphone use was putting a damper on landline utilization? Oh, right, common knowledge. Anywho, a recent study conducted here in America found that three in ten households actually relied solely or primarily on their mobile to communicate. In the latter half of 2007, it was discovered that 16-percent of domiciles didn't even have a landline, while 13-percent had one but took all (or nearly all) of their calls via cell. Just to put things in perspective, only 5-percent of US homes were cellphone-only in 2004, while 1.082-percent had not yet surrendered their can-and-string. If you're one of those number lovers, hold your head up high and hit the read link for lots more data about this totally engrossing topic.[Image courtesy of Preston LNO]
Ring-ring-ring Batphone!
So this new AbleComm spinoff RedHotPhones is selling tons and tons of phones -- all red -- including replicas "inspired by Batman". Definitely not the amazing new Christopher Nolan retelling, we're talking original campy-ass 60s Batman. We're not sure what kind of person would spend $112 on a novelty landline-phone with no way to dial out (probably the same people that bought the $300 Shakespeare bust back in the day), but buy it fast, we heard the mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island is filing suit.
OpenFrame: 'The iPhone of home phones'
With data integration in mobile handsets, it's no wonder home telephones haven't been able to keep up. But what happens when you're using a service like Verizon's FiOS and all of a sudden that boring handset has broadband data piped right into it? One example could be OpenFrame – a new home phone envisioned by John Sculley, former Apple CEO – that maybe-a-little resembles Apple's iPhone. The various devices are built on Freescale MX31 processors "with two 600-MHz ARM11 chips doing the heavy lifting" for features like streaming video, music, web surfing, and more. According to the manufacturer's chief executive, the heavily subsidized phones could be shipping out in four or five months straight from the carriers (no retail presence here). Though the phone was built specifically for services like FiOS, they're not yet saying if it's coming to FiOS. Why so shy, fellas?
Motorola intros D7 / D8 MOTOLIVN landline phones
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]
Plantronics' Calisto Pro makes telecommuting fun
Alright, so maybe "fun" is a stretch, but Plantronics' Calisto Pro sure makes working from the confines of home a lot more plausible. This interesting home phone not only enables users to manage their landline conversations, but the built-in Bluetooth and USB port allows telecommuters to receive and place calls over Skype and through their cellphone, too. "At the touch of a button," at-home workaholics can switch between all three types of calls, and the included earpiece even enables them to chat handsfree. The handset reportedly utilizes DECT 6.0 technology, won't interfere with your WiFi setup, touts an integrated speakerphone, and even comes bundled with a "flip-up waist clip for on-the-go dialing and Caller ID viewing." Cubical dwellers, rejoice, as you can get one step closer to nixing that commute entirely for $279.95 next month.[Via Web Worker Daily]
AT&T Unity subscribers get more freebies
With the way carriers tend to nickle 'n dime us all these days, you won't find this camp complaining about anything offered up gratis. AT&T's latest round of freebies does require you to be an AT&T Unity subscriber -- meaning that you rely on AT&T for wireless and landline service -- but affords those who are in the loop free calling to and from any AT&T phone number. Moreover, it allows AT&T wireless customers to keep their rollover minutes fresh for 12 months, prevents anytime minute usage when phoning another AT&T customer, and includes unlimited night and weekend minutes. Best of all, these gifts are also being given to current Unity customers in addition to newcomers, so make sure you eye your next bill extra carefully.
Survey sez just 11-percent of Americans rely solely on cellphones
While we're inclined to believe that most of those surveyed are just too lazy to disconnect their landline which hasn't been used in the past 24 months except for picking up a few stray telemarketing plugs, a recent Harris poll reportedly shows that a whopping 81-percent of US adults still have a landline phone in their home. Notably, 77-percent of the test population also had a cellphone while 16-percent had warmed up to VoIP, but a paltry 11-percent of the participants admitted to relying solely on cellphones to get their yap on. Of course, the generational trend was in full effect, as the majority (55-percent) of that small chunk was of the younger set between the ages of 18 and 29. So, dear readers, how many of you are still keeping your landline provider in business for a medium you could easily do without?
BT and Siemens unveil rugged landline telephones
If you thought that covering your entire Mac mini computing system in aircraft grade aluminum was overkill, both BT and Siemens have somehow reckoned that equipping their latest landline phones with dust, splash, and shock proof enclosures will actually convince folks to pick one up. Granted, Philips has also tried its own hand at sprucing up the PSTN handset of late, but both of these new devices forgo sexy in exchange for sheer toughness. Siemens' Gigaset E455 SIM is a DECT phone which boasts of handsfree operations, SMS capability, an integrated answering machine, room monitoring, a backlit display, caller ID, and an oh-so-limited five choices of polyphonic ringing melodies. The BT Elements (shown after the break) also shares the SMS abilities and illuminated display, but goes above the call of duty by tossing in a reported range of one-kilometer and doubling the amount of ringtones. Of course, both of these handsets would fit right into households that resemble a UFC extravaganza, but we're still not sure that the £59.99 ($120) to £74.99 ($150) that BT and Siemens are respectively charging is worth the upgrade.Read - Siemens Gigaset E455 SIM, via TechDigestRead - BT Elements, via CNET
Patent envisions landline phones displaying targeted ads
A patent application has recently been approved by the USPTO which details a landline phone that would feature a GUI capable of displaying controls, targeted ads, and various infoswag. Inventor Rich Loen seems especially keen on the advertising potential of his so-called Internet protocol telephone system, which would allow businesses like hotels and spas to stream different ads depending on room price, or consumers to receive offers based on location, time of day, and type of residence, among many other possible criteria. Sounds like a good idea for service industries looking to squeeze a few more bucks out of their facilities, but maybe not ideal for the average landline user, who's gonna require more than just in-phone stock quotes or sports scores to convince him / her to let Google ads onto yet another screen. Now dangle some sweet subsidized calling plans in front of us, and we just might bite. [Via textually]
Philips freshens up your landline with the ID9371 handset
We know, it's hard to really brag about the aging landline you keep around for no good reason, but if you're looking for the hippest thing to hit PSTN since DSL, Philips' ID9371 just might be it. This sleek, sexy handset rocks all the dashing design cues of the avant-garde mobiles carried by the affluent set, but manages to operate on a lowly landline all the while. Aside from the obviously glossy paint job, adoration for fingerprints, and backlit display, the device also features a "soft-touch" enclosure, SIM-card copy support, built-in answering machine, alarm clock, caller ID, signal strength indicator, and XHD sound technology that purportedly delivers every tonal frequency imaginable. Sure, we're used to cramming cutting-edge gizmos into a retro casing, but kudos to Philips for doing things vice-versa.[Via ShinyShiny]
