Gadgetell Hands On: Panasonic’s awesome Link to Cell
Product: Panasonic Link to Cell
Price and Availability: $99.99, Currently shipping first units.
Rating: 10/10
Pros: A great alternative to running after your phone at home.
Cons: I’d love to see access to my phones contacts from any handset
Overall: A must have for landline ditchers
Do you find yourself digging through jackets to find your phone? Do you dig through the hamper chasing a funky ringtone after leaving your phone in a pants pocket? If you are like me, you’ve taken many trips, running through your pad trying to track down that ringing mobile phone. And if you too perform this act, more often than not it stops ringing just as you were getting close. Panasonic aims to stop our panic run.
They do this with the new Panansonic Link to Cell billed as the ultimate cell phone accessory. Using bluetooth (if your phone doesn’t have it, it is time to upgrade) your cell phone connects with the Link to Cell unit automatically and any call to your cell phone also rings on the house unit when you are in range. You can have up to six handsets: one for the kitchen, one for the bedroom, one for the den. Only the base unit will receive the bluetooth signal, all the receivers get their signal from the base unit, so you can get pretty far away. Two phones can connect simultaneously to the Link to Cell unit.
This would be ideal for a user who lives in the city where only part of the apartment gets reception. You can place your phone in the good reception area, and have your calls anywhere you like. Using this set up you can take full advantage of phone at home without having to actually carry a phone around.
The phones advanced features inclue: DECT 6.0, talking caller ID (I am not a big fan, but its in there), a night mode allowing you to set the hours handsets ring, ringerID allowing you to know who is phoning in by their select ringtone. You can also set up call block, preventing your boss from reaching you at home, if you like. Also a nice feature, Panasonic got this unit RoHS specified for new chemical substances used, a greener way to go. Well done.
How does it work in real life? Fantastic. The phone signal was strong, the handsets while not super trim worked remarkably well and I even liked the stock ringtones. I had one call transfer back to the cell phone during a call (which is an option) resulting in a few awkward moments but am not sure how it happened. I probably hit a button.
I connected my home landline as well, which worked without a hitch. My conversations at home tend to be longer than when I am not, so it was nice to have something that I could cradle without hands comfortably (thanks to the larger handset).
One thing I would like to see added is access to the cell phones contacts from one of the extensions. Remembering peoples digits is so dated.
Shipping to stores as I type this, the Panasonic Link to Cell can be had for $99.99 and features one handset. Additional handsets will run $39.99. A version will also be offered with 2 handsets.
Company site [Panasonic]
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It seems that Panasonic doesn’t have any information on their new KH-TH1211 Bluetooth-Enabled phone system as far as when it will be in retail stores. One of their Consumer Division CSR’s said “end of May” but Gadgetell says it’s shipping now.
Anyone have any information?
on March 28, 2008 at 03:35 PM - LINKMy info comes straight from panasonic. They insist the product is shipping now, as in just now.
on March 28, 2008 at 04:58 PM - LINK