Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

Discuss the cordless phone announcement here.

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James Hromadka
Old Friend

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Pembroke,MA
Posts: 307

I don't get it...

This appears to be a springboard just to have a springboard... I mean, aren't 900Mhz cordless phones with spread spectrum priced around $30-50 these days? I haven't seen any pricing specs for this device yet, but I'd be willing to bet that it's waaayyy more that that. It's not even Ghz technology!

Sure, it's cool looking, but if you ask me, it a waste of engineering.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location:
Posts: 49

I agree with Larryn. The only benefit would be if you could use this unit to surf the web from inside you home without any wires. But IMHO I would rather use true wireless technology (ie Bluetooth, etc) to use my visor to send/receive e-mail and browse the web. If the prices is right (cheap!) then it wouldn't be a bad toy to have around the house.

BTW can this SB be used to connect to the web?

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 80

I am...

On the fence with this one.

I have cablemodem, and an internal lan set up in my house. So the question I have to ask myself is like so.

Do I:

1) Wait for a bluetooth module comes out and bluetooth enable my lan so I can access the internet via cable.
or
2) hope this module is low-cost and coming out soon so that I can wirelessly access the net via it, while tying up a phone line.

I already have a portable 900mhz phone with integrated caller ID. I would only get this module to be able to access the net from my palm wirelessly.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Hacienda Heights, Ca
Posts: 302

It appears that the Paraphone is only a 900Mhz cordless phone, that also replaces your docking cradle.

In order to use your broadband connection they will have another product G24 2.4 GHz Internet Communicator Module
. This module will work with their MAViS broadband residential gateway.

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Bret Snyder<BR>If you don't know where you're going,<BR>You'll probably end up somewhere else.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Indiana
Posts: 84

Cordless phone

I'm surprised at the reaction thus far. Right now, I'd place this way higher on my want list than the VisorPhone from Handspring. The concept of integrating my address book and my home phone is VERY appealing. And I get my cell phone through work -- and who knows when we in the second tier markets will ever get digital cell service!

Now, I'm not a computer techie nor a "power" Visor user. As a consumer, however, I like this idea a LOT. The biggest consideration will be the price point. It looks like a lot of hardware between the module and the base -- hope the cost isn't too high.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 28

As long as the price point isn't too high I'd love to have this at work.

Eventhough my company is fairly small, I'm always being tracked down by coworkers and suppliers. For a while I carried a 900mhz within the office. I wouldn't mind being "on-call" in the office if I could ditch at least 1 electronic gadget.

Considering I won't be ditching the Visor anytime soon, I'd be willing to give the 900mhz a whirl.

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(OvaGirl's home away from home)

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

Annoying "commercial"

Am I the only one who was annoyed by the "commercial" that Arkonnetworks 'forces' you to watch when you go to their site. I WAS interested in finding out more about the Paraphone, but AM not interested in it anymore. When I tried to use my back button halfway through the "commercial" it kept sending my to the the start of the "commercial". To get back here I had to click on my VisorCentral favorite link. CONSUMERS ARE NOT SHEEP!! BAD marketing ploy. I need a virtual ruler to slap the back of their virtual hands!

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

Their flash thing came up in a different window. Just close it and you can see the normal site.

Yes it is annoying.

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James Hromadka
Old Friend

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

2 thumbs down

Why the hell would I want a cordless phone for my visor? What a waste of time and engineering. One can pick up a cordless phone for about 30 bucks these days...and tehy don't use up the resources on your visor. The Visorphone make a lot more sense to me.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 80

Looking at the news...

To me, until I can get wireless ethernet for my visor I will get a paraphone for $99.

Especially considering its also an extra cradle.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location:
Posts: 49

$99, To expensive.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: dynamic!
Posts: 189

I guess we'll have to 'wait and see' on this one. At first I'd wished I could give this one 3 s down, but if the recharging base doubles as a USB cradle then this may be ideal for a home office, or small office as Ovagirl has suggested. Some folks may never need a cell phone. Price will definitely be the deciding factor.

How much Visor resources can one waste by dialing a number? You can't exactly multitask on this type of device anyway. We'll need to determine whether or not the Visor needs to continuously run during the call. It'd make sense, and be much more practical if the connection to the microphone uses no processor resources. I don't believe the modulation process is handled by the Visor (we'd have seen more voice-related modules by now.) My concern is protection. I'm hoping there will be some sort of horizontally connecting cover to protect the LCD while using these phone doo-hickeys! This means you, visorphone!! haha.

The concept of this module is far less ridiculous than the Omniremote. Does this work indepedent of the Visor? Doesn't look like it, and if not, then what good is it when you're ready to leave for the day? I guess you're better off having more than one phone (or Visor ) in the household. If they attach a digital answering machine to this then they might make a believer out of me. I'm so conditioned to dialling numbers and keeping them in pre-Visor memory that I don't really think much about speed dial.

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"The Greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge." -- Daniel Borstin

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 80

How do you figure?

How do you figure?

It costs $29 for an extra cradle, so now the phone is $70.

I think $70 is perfectly reasonable for a module that allows you caller id, auto dialing, call waiting id, automatically matching a phone number to an address book entry, and a modem, all that wirelessly and a 900 mhz phone. Hell, I payed $119 for my handspring modem alone!

Not only that, with my HS Modem I have to be tied to a phoneline. This module is great for the price. I was afraid it was going to be too expensive.

I payed about $60 not too long ago for a 900 mhz cordless with a 20 number caller id display built in, and 10 number speed dial!

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: bright side of the moon.
Posts: 996

Re: How do you figure?

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lacutis
, and a modem, all that wirelessly and a 900 mhz phone. Hell, I payed $119 for my handspring modem alone!

---

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Ever feel like the train left while you were busy reading the paper?

Stealth-Mod.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 80

Htmmm.

I could swear that I read it also functions as a modem somewhere.

I'll have to try to find it.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Indiana
Posts: 84

Just saw the price

Just saw that the phone module & cradle will cost $99. It's a wee bit high against my expectations, but I'll definately be "in" when it's available.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Petersburg, AK
Posts: 131

Parafone will be $119 through *ugh* Palmgear. On the Palmgear site it says that it is compatible with the Prism but on the manufacturers it says that it isn't. And it doesn't look like you can use it as a wireless modem. The module is on the front page of the Handspring website though.

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

I have recieved my review sample of the parafone - It will work with the prism, jsut you won't be able to use the cradle/charging base as a cradle - the software is not in color.

As for usign it as a modem, that's a no go, and don't expect anything like that in the future - it has no flash memory, so no software updates are planned ...

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-miradu

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: El Segundo,CA
Posts: 374

A few questions for you mi ra du,
I assume you have to have caller ID for it to display the caller. If you don't, it will not display a matching number in your address book, right?
If you pick up the call on another phone, does it show as a missed call?
Also you posted "The cradle/charge they ship with the parafone is only compatible with the Vdx seris, but you can charge the device with a Prism cradle." Can I charge it with the Prism/Visorphone charger?
Its cool that it will ring out of the visor, the Visorphone should do the same.
Looking forward to your review.

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My Treo has more memory than I do.

Last edited by j762538 on 08-01-2001 at 10:56 PM