weyh@celia.uucp (06/05/90)
I'm looking for a feature in a phone that will help me with the following: My wife and I have a infant child and sometimes when I call her she has the baby in her arms and can't get to the phone. I'd like to have a speaker phone that she could answer without going over to the device. If it could be voice activated or if I could enter a secured code to have the phone answer itself. Also a built-in answering machine would be nice. Does such a thing exist? Darwin C. Weyh -- Consultant for the Los Angeles Dept of Water and Power POB 111 Rm 848 Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 580-0822
bill%eedsp@gatech.edu (Bill Berbenich) (06/06/90)
In article <8687@accuvax.nwu.edu> ladwp!weyh@celia.uucp writes: >I'm looking for a feature in a phone that will help me with the >following: >My wife and I have a infant child and sometimes when I call her she >has the baby in her arms and can't get to the phone. I'd like to have >a speaker phone that she could answer without going over to the >device. If it could be voice activated or if I could enter a secured >code to have the phone answer itself. Also a built-in answering >machine would be nice. >Does such a thing exist? Yes, Panasonic makes an answering machine/telephone with a feature called "answer-back." If you (the caller) know the code number which has been set on the phone, you can make the phone go into the speaker phone mode. I believe this same model that I am thinking of will allow the phone to go off-hook into the speaker phone mode if someone at the unit presses a certain button - in other words, the phone will ring once and then answer itself. After your wife heard the first ring, she could wait a second and then say (yell?) Hello! across the room. If your wife does not want the phone to answer itself, she can press that-same-button again to toggle the auto-answer off. In any case, if the caller knows the security code they can make the phone go into the speaker phone (or answerback) mode on this particular Panasonic model. I don't know the Panasonic model number, but it is a fairly small unit (gray in color with an orange speakerphone button) which utilizes a voice chip for the outgoing message and a single micro-cassette for the incoming message and to backup the message on the voice chip in case the power goes out. Most (many?) consumer electronics stores in the Atlanta area carry this particular model for something over $200. I have seen good pricing for it at Service Merchandise and Pace. I may just buy one of them myself one day. :-) William A. Berbenich | Georgia Tech, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 uucp: ...!{backbones}!gatech!eedsp!bill Internet: bill@eedsp.gatech.edu
roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) (06/06/90)
Darwin C. Weyh writes: > I'd like to have a speaker phone that she could answer without going > over to the device. If it could be voice activated or if I could > enter a secured code to have the phone answer itself. I think our AT&T System-25 can do that. If you have a HFAI-10 (10-line Hands Free Auto Intercom, I think) on your desk, your secretary can call you and you can answer without touching the instrument. I'm pretty sure this can only be activated from specially programmed phones (i.e. your secretaries, but not from an outside line). I would imagine there are HFAI-5's as well. I believe (but am not at all sure about this) that the System-25 instruments are interchangable with Merlin sets. This stuff is all intended for small businesses, and may be out of reasonable price ranges for home use. Roy Smith, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016 roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu -OR- {att,cmcl2,rutgers,hombre}!phri!roy
Dahe Chen <chen-dahe@cs.yale.edu> (06/08/90)
In article <8721@accuvax.nwu.edu> Bill Berbenich <eedsp!bill@gatech. edu> writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 417, Message 6 of 12 In article <8687@accuvax.nwu.edu> ladwp!weyh@celia.uucp writes: >I'm looking for a feature in a phone that will help me with the >following: <I don't know the Panasonic model number, but it is a fairly small unit <(gray in color with an orange speakerphone button) which utilizes a <voice chip for the outgoing message and a single micro-cassette for <the incoming message and to backup the message on the voice chip in <case the power goes out. Most (many?) consumer electronics stores in <the Atlanta area carry this particular model for something over <$200. I have seen good pricing for it at Service Merchandise and <Pace. I may just buy one of them myself one day. :-) The model number is KX-T2432. I bought one from Crutchfield at the price of $179 plus $2 process fee. Crutchfield pays for S/H fee. A while ago, it had a sale price for $159. Phone number: 800-446-1640. By no means I am affliated with Crutchfield. Just let them make some profit out of my money. I saw in its catalog that this model was on sale for $159. Dahe Chen internet: dchen@twolf.ce.yale.edu chen-dahe@cs.yale.edu bitnet: dchen@yalevms