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This was on Engadget today from last year, what are they talking about?

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.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/07/ooma ... in-the-us/

Some sort of bluetooth attachment to Telo's USB port that has not yet been released.

Some sort of bluetooth attachment to Telo's USB port that has not yet been released.

Ah, I see, that would come in handy for me. I get cellphone drops in parts of my house. One could charge a phone near a window and have phones through the house.

I get cellphone drops in parts of my house. One could charge a phone near a window and have phones through the house.

Have you considered using Google Voice as a front end for your Telo? I love the fact that I can give out just one number and people can reach me no matter where I am. Like yourself, my cell is not reliable at home. The cell works in the front yard and near the barn, but not in most of the house. With GV a person calls one number and it rings my cell and my Telo. If I'm home, I pick up the Telo and talk for free. If out, I use the cell.

I get cellphone drops in parts of my house. One could charge a phone near a window and have phones through the house.

Have you considered using Google Voice as a front end for your Telo? I love the fact that I can give out just one number and people can reach me no matter where I am. Like yourself, my cell is not reliable at home. The cell works in the front yard and near the barn, but not in most of the house. With GV a person calls one number and it rings my cell and my Telo. If I'm home, I pick up the Telo and talk for free. If out, I use the cell.

Already do, I was one of the Call Central converts, but I try to keep work and personal separate. Anyway, I believe Ooma is still on for Gogle Voice extent ions. Can't wait for that one!

Supposedly, based on CES, there is going to be some kind of bluetooth feature with Telo coming out.

You can set your cellphone down anywhere in your home that gets best reception. Then when your cellphone rings it will ring all the Telo headsets. Then you can pick up and talk on the Telo headset.

On the flipside. You can be wearing your bluetooth headset (like a jawbone), and when someone calls your Ooma phone line it will ring on your headset and you can pick up the call and talk on your jawbone.

But I think you are going to have to buy something as a one time purchase for that, some piece of hardware. And it will only be available for Telo, not for the Hub.

Panasonic has had a wireless handset product referred to as "link to cell" where it is exactly that, you link your cell to a base that has wireless handsets for use through your house thus replicating a "landline" experience/convience. GE had a old product long ago where a cellphone actually made use of a homes landline, it was called telehome and while with in range of the home base it used the landline for calls, my friend walked a entire block and made calls from the landline. The whole point for that technology was saving cellular minutes while at home.

Anyways, this bluetooth technology has been out for awhile know, hopefully Ooma gets its release right, mind you Ooma had difficulty getting multiple handsets to work. Hey its fair game taking shots at Ooma. I obviously want Ooma to do better.

Note in my experience with Bluetooth, the range can be NOT all that great so I am curious how well Ooma performs in this regard.

I had the Panasonic "link to cell" box. It was a great concept, but the implentation of the concept was poor. I finally wound up returning it.

I think that is the same concept as the Ooma thing, but like you said, hopefully Ooma does it right.

The Panasonic KX-TH1212b product gets some mixed reviews. See it at Newegg - better prices can be found at Amazon and other sites - - > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16876101282&Tpk=kx-th1212b

Although my wife and I are not heavy cell users, we were frustrated that our cell phones worked OK in the kitchen - but not very well anywhere else in our house. This system allows us to drop our cell phones in the kitchen (convenient access to the garage) and answer calls in other locations. We have used the link-to-cell system for about six months, and perhaps the best feature is that it also works with our Hub/Scout! We have the two "original" Panasonic handsets that work with Ooma & cell phones (one in our family room, one in the bedroom) and two additional Panasonic handsets (cheap eBay purchase of KX-TG9332; we don't use that base unit). These additional handsets allow us to have two more locations that can answer Ooma calls.

The Vtech 6300 series not only link via cellphone and allow you to answer or make cell calls from the handsets, they also will upload your directory to the base from your cellphone. I have a 6321-3 with an extra 6301 accessory handset as handset 4. There is a manual and info on a 6311 which is the same only without a built in answering machine but it's difficult to tell if they'll sell it. I would rather have the 6311-(number of handsets) since I would never use a built in answering machine.

As far as the directory, every time you upload it, it overwrites the previous and is not easy to accidentally do it so it has to be deliberate. Basically use your email to edit or add entries, sync to the cell and then upload that to your base.