Papa needs a brand-new answering machine (RIP James)
December 25, 2006 5:49 AM Subscribe
My answering machine/fax combo has joined its compadres in the big electronics graveyard, and I need a state-of-the-art answering machine-type thingy now.
It's been, oh, twenty years since I've last owned a standalone answering machine. All the faxes I've bought have featured them as an "accessory." But now, times have changed, and my new fax doesn't have one. Currently, I'm using the voicemail system provided by Time/Warner's digital phone service, but it doesn't play ball with the fax.
Worsening things, the "Send voicemails to your email address" services aren't compatible with my digital phone service. Nor is running my computer 24/7 and having it answer calls an option. (I'm a boot-in-the-morning, shutdown in the evening kinda guy.)
This leaves me with one option. A standalone answering machine, if they still exist, or an answering machine/extension phone combo.
Ideally, I'd like built-in goodies like the ability to call my answering machine from another phone in the house, generic outgoing greetings read by Method-trained actors or actresses, bells that can be turned off, and whatnot. But I'll stick with what I can get.
Any recommendations, experiences, or horror stories with this particular product? After Xmas sales begin tomorrow, and I need to get my act in gear.
It's been, oh, twenty years since I've last owned a standalone answering machine. All the faxes I've bought have featured them as an "accessory." But now, times have changed, and my new fax doesn't have one. Currently, I'm using the voicemail system provided by Time/Warner's digital phone service, but it doesn't play ball with the fax.
Worsening things, the "Send voicemails to your email address" services aren't compatible with my digital phone service. Nor is running my computer 24/7 and having it answer calls an option. (I'm a boot-in-the-morning, shutdown in the evening kinda guy.)
This leaves me with one option. A standalone answering machine, if they still exist, or an answering machine/extension phone combo.
Ideally, I'd like built-in goodies like the ability to call my answering machine from another phone in the house, generic outgoing greetings read by Method-trained actors or actresses, bells that can be turned off, and whatnot. But I'll stick with what I can get.
Any recommendations, experiences, or horror stories with this particular product? After Xmas sales begin tomorrow, and I need to get my act in gear.
Uniden 3-handset answering machine combo
Love mine. The speakerphone on the handset works great. Didn't know about the PC link, maybe mine doesn't have that, that would be a nice feature.
posted by StickyCarpet at 12:49 PM on December 25, 2006
Love mine. The speakerphone on the handset works great. Didn't know about the PC link, maybe mine doesn't have that, that would be a nice feature.
posted by StickyCarpet at 12:49 PM on December 25, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
You can use the handsets to check the answering machine, do an intercom between the phones, page someone with the other phone, and even open a channel to listen in to the room where another phone is sitting (toggle-able). You can even do stuff like hooking it up to your computer and syncing your Outlook contact list, although I've not tried it yet.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:54 AM on December 25, 2006