Home Office Phones

[DeadMansShoes]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good home office phone set up?

Requirements:
- uses landline for calls (I have free call packages to all the places I need)
- good quality hands-free (fed up having to stay glued to a phone for 2+ hours of conference calls..)
- mute option (this could be inbuilt in the headset)

Nice extras:
- does NOT have an inbuilt answerphone (or is a v. small addition) - phone provider has answering service
- able to download/upload/edit numbers in phone via PC

I was thinking that a Bluetooth enabled cordless house phone + Bluetooth headset would be the best solution, but there aren't any models out there I can find that seem suitable. If anyone has a nice set up please let me know the details.

[DS23]

i'd be interested in this too - anybody got bleeding-edge home telephony they want to blog about?

[Moscow Mule]

I'm disappointed this isn't a thread about phones at the Home Office.

I have no value to add to the conversation, other than to say PCs with a modem used to be able to do this and combine with Outlook - could you get a PCI card to act as your phone?

[DS23]

we could always make it about phones at the home office...

[DS23]

although actually, i'd rather it was about profiteroles.

[HairyArsedBloke]

You lot are rotten.

Unfortunately I don't have an answer, but I am interested in responses as I am sort of in the market.

Also, wasn't someone experimenting with a small office/home office exchange software the other day?

[Mich the Tester]

although actually, i'd rather it was about profiteroles.

When I worked on a telecoms project for the Dutch home office, we got free Danish pastries every day from. Not quite profiteroles, but delicious nonetheless.

[ratewhore]

My mobile is all I need.

[doodab]

I have a panasonic DECT one. It doesn't have a headset but the speakerphone aspect works fine, has a mute, and the answering machine can be switched off.

This one:

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_G...227/index.html

has a headset jack as well.

No profiteroles though.

[darmstadt]

I leave the receiver on the desk with a microphone leaning against the earpiece going into my PC and the sound comes out of the loudspeakers and if I have to talk, I just shout.

Actually I have one of those fax/telephones with another plugged in to it so that I can sit on the terrace having a fag while on the phone.