I have been using the Dock-N-Talk for two weeks. I am impressed. The device has improved my communication system significantly without forcing me to learn how to use a new system. I love having convenient access to a landline or a wireless line at all of the handsets in our home.
First, the device is so simple and intuitive to use that it rapidly fades into the background. I am still amused when I use my landline phones to make or take cellphone calls, but the Dock-N-Talk that creates this capability does its thing with little attention from me. The only interaction I have with the device is to use the cable that docks and undocks my cellphone. All the magic just happens.
The benefits for me include simplifying my life. The Dock-N-Talk keeps my cellphone in a fully charged condition, so I have permanently turned on power-draining features of my cellphone like Bluetooth. I never use call forwarding now in order to take calls on the landline when I’m home. These conveniences save me time and simplify my daily routine.
I also enjoy having easy access to the cellphone’s features from my landline phones. Because I can easily gain access to my cellphone’s voicemail, I now use busy and delayed call forwarding on the landline to send calls to my wireless service. This also means I do not need Call Waiting from SBC because a call not answered is forwarded to my cellphone which has this feature. My landline digital phone system even recognizes the message alert on the cellphone and flashes a red LED to let me know there are unheard messages waiting for my attention...
Because I have access to my cellphone’s speed dial feature, I can do without the lame Speed Calling 8 service from SBC. Using my cellphone’s voice recognition capability allows me to use my landline phones to access my cellphone’s digital recorder to record and play calls or memos to myself. The expanded capability of my landline phone system because of the features that are passed through the Dock-N-Talk is a welcomed advantage.
The money saved is considerable. SBC charges $10.95 per month for integrated landline and wireless voicemail. I removed Call Screen, Call Return, Repeat Dialing, Speed Calling 8 and Privacy Manager from the landline and then added Busy and Delayed Call Forwarding for a net savings of $5.05 per month. So, the Dock-N-Talk saved me a total of $16 per month on my landline bill. Using my wireless service’s free long distance and having convenient access to the wireless line during nights, weekends and for mobile-to-mobile calls to other T-Mobile users further extends the cost savings.
Because we do not use our landline for fax or data, we could easily cancel our landline service altogether and really save some big bucks. I’m discussing the idea of transferring our landline number to my wife's cellphone, but she is not as comfortable about adopting new technologies as me. She is not yet fully comfortable about using only her cellphone service, but she is coming around (saving money appeals to her). I’m not pushing hard, yet.
I do not understand why, but the sound quality of wireless calls is better when passed through the Dock-N-Talk. This is true in both directions. People on the other end of the line comment on how clear I sound--they are used to average cellphone sound quality but the strong signal strength where the Dock-N-Talk sits (by the livingroom window) and the capabilities of our digital phone system combine to improve sound quality markedly.
It is also great to have wireless calls passed through the high-quality handset and base duplex speakerphones of our 5.8 GHz digital phone system. In a quiet room these conversations have the same high sound quality--callers say they cannot tell any difference when I’m using the speakerphone.
A final cool capability of the Dock-N-Talk is that I can create large conference calls with ease. My wireless service and phone allow up to six parties simultaneously on a call. Our landline allows up to three parties on a call. Our digital phone system allows line one and line two to be joined with no reduction in sound quality. This means that I can have a total of nine people on the line, including myself, on a single conference call.
I think we may soon own two Dock-N-Talks, one connected to my cellphone on line two and the other connected to my wife's cellphone on line one. SBC will be history. Our communication system will be simpler, more powerful, less costly and will save us time.
If you have wired phones capable of serving two lines, or have phones capable of serving only one line and are willing to give up your landline, or have phones capable of serving only one line and are willing to have only one wired handset capable of making and taking only cellphone calls attached by a line connected directly to the Dock-N-Talk (it can be a digital system with multiple cordless handsets), I enthusiastically recommend this device. It works.
