Do you still have a "home" phone number?

[TonyG5003]

I simply MUST have a landline - I cannot stand the "digital" sound of cell phone conversations. Any amount of chirping or static really annoys me. I also make many international calls, and a cell just isn't a viable option for that.

I also like to regularly interrupt the person I'm talking to and you can't do that with a cell - they'll only hear the second half of my sentence.

In all seriousness, there's just something about a traditional phone which makes me feel more securely connected to the outside world. I mean, when was the last time your landline dropped a call or went down??

[G Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by xtalman

I still have a "landline". It's actually VoIP, like Vonage and Ooma. The sound quality is much better than my cell phone, and the international calls are a lot cheaper. It's really cheap to keep a VoIP line around, mine is about $5-10/month depending on usage. It still has a lot of features despite the price.

It was also cheaper for me keep a landline and and pre-paid cell phone service than to have a 2-year cell phone contract.

I'm with you on this. Land line quality is much better than cellular, and with Ooma, it is much cheaper. I use a prepaid cell also, for the same reason. I have a cell phone, but I seldom give out the number, as I want most of my calls to come in on the land line. In addition, I don't like the idea of being "on call" 24/7. Cell phones are convenient some times, and they are a good safety item when you are out, but they can be very expensive and the sound quality is often quite poor. But to each his own. I'm glad there is a lot of flexibility in phones because people have differing preferences and needs. Nothing wrong with that.

[Blackfield]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

I'm with you on this. Land line quality is much better than cellular, and with Ooma, it is much cheaper. I use a prepaid cell also, for the same reason. I have a cell phone, but I seldom give out the number, as I want most of my calls to come in on the land line. In addition, I don't like the idea of being "on call" 24/7. Cell phones are convenient some times, and they are a good safety item when you are out, but they can be very expensive and the sound quality is often quite poor. But to each his own. I'm glad there is a lot of flexibility in phones because people have differing preferences and needs. Nothing wrong with that.

Hey Grasshopper,

What is your experience so far with Ooma?
I am thinking to get one myself.

[G Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by Blackfield

Hey Grasshopper,

What is your experience so far with Ooma?
I am thinking to get one myself.

We've just had it for 2 months. So far, it has been great. We got ours at Best Buy, I think, which is about the lowest price you can get (or was when we got it.) Sound quality is normal for a land line. We are able to use the cordless phones we already had. They have a super-duper version with all kinds of features that you get for the first month, but we let the trial period run out because we never used any of them, and it costs more. Our monthly phone bills are about $3. One thing to note is if you are on the line and ignore your call waiting, the message will go to the Ooma, rather than being recorded on your phone. So you could have messages on either machine. So far, so good.

[mukraker]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

mukraker, what the heck part of town do you live in? I go all over due to my job (Travis and the five surrounding counties) and so far haven't found a Verizon no-reception hole. I'd like to know where to expect one so I won't have an unhappy surprise!

I live around 38th and Guadalupe. It's really bad, though it has slightly improved in the last few months. I used to have to press my face up to the window to have any hope of a clear conversation. It still sucks, but now I can usually get away with a brief conversation before the call drops.

At any rate, to chime in about Ooma... It's awesome. I've had two mysteriously lagging calls but other than that, no issue. Plugged it into my cheap-ass cordless phone from Target and it works like a dream. I hear it even works abroad, since you really just have to plug it into the internet. A few months ago I had to call 911 (it wasn't anything too scary, but still) and was very glad I didn't have to struggle with reception and a dropped call while on the phone with the operator.

I got my box on Woot.com late last year and have seen it on there once or twice since then. Might be worth looking around there or other places on the interwebz.

[Kim623]

We currently have both a landline and my cell phone. My partner is technologically challenged and uses a cell phone only when necessary. I run a business out of my home so we still have need the landline for faxes. When we move we'll continue to have both.

[1mintjulep]

My partner and I just have cell phones. When I moved into my first apartment in Austin in 2003, I had a landline. 95% of the calls I received were wrong numbers, telemarketers, or people conducting surveys. I would come home from work every day to no less than 5 messages on the answering machine, all of them from the aforementioned groups. I took to leaving the phone unplugged unless I was expecting a call.

After I moved out of that apartment, I never had a landline again. For as little as I use the phone, it just seems pointless.

And I'm 32, btw.

[1mintjulep]

Originally Posted by sagewithaflaw

This was a little funny to me - I am sure you meant liberating as in one less bill to worry about, but in another context cell phones are the opposite of liberating. It used to be with a land line, no one could bother me unless I was home and you didn't even have to be bothered with screening calls - now with cell phones, every Tom, Dick, & Harry can call me 24/7 and since they know I have a cell phone, there is no escape

Some of you seem to be laboring under the delusion that a ringing phone must always be answered. lol I hate talking on the phone (any phone) with a passion. I keep mine on silent most of the time, unless I'm expecting a call. People who know me know that e-mail is the best way to get in touch with me.

[TonyG5003]

Originally Posted by 1mintjulep

Some of you seem to be laboring under the delusion that a ringing phone must always be answered. lol I hate talking on the phone (any phone) with a passion. I keep mine on silent most of the time, unless I'm expecting a call. People who know me know that e-mail is the best way to get in touch with me.

I agree... just like answering the front door when someone knocks on it. If I don't know the caller or door-knocker, I don't answer it.