Landline phones seem to be on their way to being a thing of the past. The vast majority of the younger generation at this point use cell phones, and as they grow up and move out of their parents’ houses, many of them will not get land line telephones. And with good reason. Cell phones are getting cheaper and cheaper to use, and for many people, $40 a month toward to cell phone bill is all they need to pay for telephone service. Of course, there still are some advantages to a land line phone.
Cell phones, although extremely portable and convenient, have their drawbacks. They operate on batteries that run out of charge, and, being designed for portability rather than ease of use, are uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. Some are also concerned that prolonged exposure to cell phone radiation will put them at a higher risk of developing brain cancer. Many people would understandably rather use land line phones when it home, but would not want to pay for an additional telephone line. Fortunately, there’s a solution to this problem.
A number of companies currently sell products that will plug into your cell phone, and connect them to your house’s landline network. Pick up a regular telephone anywhere in your house, and you’ll actually be talking over your cell phone. You can then set up your cell phone where it gets the best reception, and simply pick it up and put it in your pocket when you go out.
If this sounds appealing to you, you have several options. The Dock-N-Talk is one. At $165, it is not particularly cheap, but it is convenient to use. It communicates with your cellphone via Bluetooth, (which, of course, is a problem if your cell phone does not support Bluetooth – if this is the case you’ll also need to buy a Bluetooth adapter for it) and plugs into any land line wall jack. Pick up any phone and the house, and you’ll be using your cell phone. The Dock-N-Talk is a especially convenient, because it allows you to plug your phone into its existing charger, and not even bother with a wired connection to the device. Bluetooth handles all that.
Another option is Cidco’s MERGE. Although it only works with some Motorola phones, the MERGE is a cradle for your cell phone, which charges it while connecting it to a land line network. Once again, just plug it into the wall, and you’re in business. When you want to go, just pick the phone up off the cradle and put it in your pocket.
At this point, some of you may be wondering what you can take advantage of this technology if you already have a land line telephone. This, too, is a legitimate question. Many families have cell phones as well as land line telephones, and find them cheaper to use. Fortunately, both the MERGE and the Dock-N-Talk are compatible with the setup. When you pick up your cell phone to go up the door, just flip a switch, and the adapter will switch over to the land line. This system will enable the telephones to ring when a call comes in on either line.
