dect 6.0

VTech's Retro Phone has modern 'Mad Men' flair

Perhaps it's just a coincidence that VTech's $59.99 LS6195 cordless phone has hit stores as the fifth season of "Mad Men" has recently gotten under way, but the phone has a decidedly 1960s retro look with a tagline that Don Draper might approve of: "Back in style. Better styled."

Naturally, the electronics inside the LD6195 are new -- or at least relatively new -- as the VTech Retro Phone has a digital answering machine and uses DECT 6.0 digital technology, which is the standard in today's cordless phones. … Read more

Panasonic's KX-TG7432 DECT 6.0 cordless phone packs in the features

Panasonic has a few new DECT 6.0 cordless phones for 2009, including the KX-TG7400 series, which retails for less than $100 for a two-handset package. The main difference between this model and the popular KX-TG6400 series is a larger LCD: the 7400 series has a 2.1-inch LCD while the KX-TG6400 has a 1.8-inch LCD. Also, this model adds "Choice Mail" Selectable Voice Message (a form of visual voice mail) to an already strong feature set.

Read our full review to find out why it's currently our top-rated cordless phone.

VTech's LS6245 Bluetooth cordless phone takes cell and landline calls

Vtech has released Bluetooth cordless phones in the past, but it says its new LS6245 is the "first system of its kind capable of connecting landline and cellular phone calls simultaneously."

Like most new cordless phones these days, the LS6245 is a DECT 6.0 model, but the key feature here is the capability to pair your Bluetooth cell phone with the unit and take calls on either the slim handset or via the built-in speakerphone. VTech is calling it "a virtual two-line phone system," and says you cannot only take a landline call and cell … Read more

VTech LS6225 series: One of the sexier DECT 6.0 cordless phones

New for 2009, VTech's LS6225/LS6215 series is one of the company's featured DECT 6.0 cordless phone lines. VTech has a reputation for making sleek and stylish cordless phones and the LS6225 series is an eye-catcher, with a shiny black finish, touch buttons on the base unit/digital answering machine, and a slight curve to the handsets that follows the contour of your face. You can get this model in packages of two and three handsets (the system is expandable to 12 handsets), as well as a unit that leaves off the answering machine.

Read the full review. … Read more

Ooma rings in new year with Telo VoIP system

When I met with Ooma representatives last month, I got a sneak peek at its next-generation phone system, the Telo, which combines DECT 6.0 cordless-phone technology with Internet-based (VoIP) calling. Well, Ooma officially unveiled the Telo at CES, and while no price has been announced, the it will arrive sometime in the first half of 2009, according to the company.

Ooma's claim to fame is that it currently sells a VoIP phone system that lets you make free domestic U.S. calls and low-priced international calls. (In Amazon's database, the product is in fact called the Ooma … Read more

Wireless speakerphone for chaotic households

Introducing the latest appliance for today's digital household: the wireless speakerphone.

No longer associated only with office conferences, the speakerphone is finding its way into kitchens and family rooms as well. Granted, there are many other variations built into answer machines or the handsets themselves, but they're often afterthought functions that don't emphasize quality. So GE's newest land-line system that uses DECT technology has added a cordless speakerphone that features "True Digital Sound" for "enhanced voice reception."

We're still not sure who would need something like this, unless you're a … Read more