The Ooma Telo handset is a device that goes with the Ooma base station. Its purpose is for allowing customers of the Ooma voice over IP system to take their conversations in and around the home. Although not perfect, this gadget complements the system quite well.
The handset retails for about $50 in most areas. It is about par with other handsets considering the price, but also has unique features you won’t find with other handsets. It’s these features that offset some of the shortcomings of the device. Some, like the one-touch voice mail button, can save a lot of time in using the phone system.
Another feature available only to the Ooma headset is the instant syncing feature. This feature allows you to add contacts to your online phone book in your Ooma panel, press one button, and have all of the contacts downloaded to your phone. It’s not an instant transfer, and it does take some time, but it’s a lot better than adding a hundred contacts the old fashioned way!
Ooma users get much more than just a phone. The Ooma headset also doubles over as an intercom system. So long as you have enough headsets and the required base station, you can contact other phones in the house much like you would a two-way system. It can also act as a baby monitor, which can go for $50 by itself. The Ooma headset is quite versatile in what it can do, and for the price, it’s astounding.
The speed of the device is likely the worst thing about the headset. It just doesn’t feel so responsive like a phone should. When cycling through contacts or features in the phone, you will notice that the lag period between pushing a button and seeing the phone react can be easily noticed. It doesn’t kill the phone entirely, but it’s definitely something the Ooma team should have seen and fixed before releasing the headset to the public.
When it comes to design, the Ooma again pleases. Another gripe would be that the LED on the base of the phone is always on, so long as the phone is charging. The LED is unnaturally bright and most users have mentioned they had to cover it up. Again, this is something the Ooma team should have seen and fixed beforehand. This also is not a game over for the Ooma headset, but can still be frustrating to deal with.
Closing Comments
Ooma will be releasing a next generation phone sometime in the future- and it’s going to definitely be exciting. There are many that speculate the new phone will have features like picture ID and messaging features enabled.
Learn more on ooma telo review and ooma reviews.