Digital Life is one of those events that you go to expecting to see some really neat gadgets and things that make the lives of you hairless monkeys more bearable. Well I ran into a product and not only is it neat but offers the promise of a little piece of hardware that could be life changing. How would you like to be able to get rid of your phone bill forever? Well forever is strong statement but you can reduce the cost greatly and get free long distance calls in the the US, a broadband answering machine, and an instant second line along with a host of other services

What is it?

ooma is a device that connects to your broadband connection and your phone line that gives you back the ownership of your dial tone according to the ooma founders.

How does it Work?

How cool is that? It’s not like Vonage it’s actually better in my opinion. Unlike Vonage and other services you don’t pay a monthly fee. You simply purchase the ooma device and that’s it. Other than adding very optional services like caller ID there is never another monthly charge.

A quick list of features include:

• Instant Second Line™ feature – gives every user access to a second line in their
home, with no installation or new phones!
• Broadband Answering Machine™ feature– combines the power of voice mail, with
the ease-of-use of your trusty answering machine. ( believe there is a small charge for this service)
• Unique ooma dial tone – the sound of it means your phone calls are free – ooma
provides unlimited calling in the US, with no monthly fees – for life.
• ooma lounge – customers can be part of the ooma experience online

In addition to all the stuff above unlike other broadband services you get to keep the 911 service you have now. That means if you need to call for an emergency of any kind the authorities can track that call to your house or place of business.

Should I get it?

Well this is a preview of the product until we receive our test unit in a few days I can’t officially recommend that you don’t get it. However something like ooma doesn’t come along very often so I would recommend You consider it and if this information excites you as much as it did me that you not wait for the review.

We recommend you keep an eye out for the full review coming soon but this was such a great product we had to talk about it.

Summary

This product has great promise and we think it could change your life or at least lower your phone bill from what it is now to about $20 a month depending on the services you decide to keep. Look out for ooma in the next few weeks and get ready to get rid of your phone bill.

BJ Tip: If the phone company balks that you have to have long distance just tell them you only need a lifeline. Usually about $7 a month or so. This works for cable Internet customers, but I’m not sure if that’s the case for DSL. Check with your provider to be sure you won’t affect your DSL.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 at 9:51 am and is filed under BJ's Previews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.