4 posts tagged “siemens”

7/10: not bad but could do better.

My wife is a bit unhappy about the size of the buttons. They aren't very big and they all touch their neighbouring buttons - there aren't any gaps between the buttons which makes it harder to ensure that you are clicking the right thing. She is also a bit unhappy that the phones don't just "ring" - they have to play a tune. There are some decent ones supplied but I haven't had a chance to take her through them yet. I've also found a MIDI file of "Popcorn" so I'm hoping the phones will play that without any trouble. It seems like that would make a neat ringtone!

The batteries in the handsets need 10 hours for the initial charge, then a full discharge and then charge 'em up again to get the most out of them. So, I haven't been able to put the new phones into service yet. Instead, I've registered the handsets with the basestation - a very painless process - and started testing the Skype integration and configuring the phone book.

If you've read any of my previous postings on my search for replacement DECT phones, you might remember that one of the things I didn't like about the Panasonic design was that its shared directory only holds 20 numbers. Well, Siemens have taken a different approach - there is no shared directory. Each handset has its own phone directory. On the face of it, this is going to be a nuisance as we've got three handsets and I don't relish keeping each one updated. However, there is software with the M34 USB adapter that allows you to manage the directories and copy/paste them from one phone to another. It is also possible to copy a handset's directory to another handset. The benefit, I guess, of not having a shared directory is that the phone is more responsibe. You also don't tie up the channel to the base station when you are browsing the directory, which is what happens with the Philips Zenia.

On the Skype side, I've managed to get the USB adapter installed and working. One thing that the Siemens doesn't do is put unanswered Skype calls onto the answering machine. I think that is a shame but, given that you need the PC on anyway in order to make & receive calls, I've opted to use Pamela as my Skype answering machine. For now, anyway. I'm still in an experimenting phase here!

Making outward Skype calls could be seen to be a bit cumbersome on the Siemens. You have to "ring" the USB adapter from the handset then choose Skype then choose your Skype contact. If you are using SkypeOut and you need to dial the number (because you haven't set it up as a SkypeOut contact), it has to follow the international dialling standard - you can't use local formats.

There is a logic behind the apparently clumsiness of it all. The USB adapter offers much more than just Skype. You can stream audio from your PC, be alerted of messages, etc. It is therefore necessary for the USB adapter to offer a menu of choices. The reason why you have to ring the USB adapter is, I think, part of Siemen's design of making this an expandable system. In theory, you could have other items that you could "dial" and then be presented with different menus. By not locking that functionality into the handset, it should allow for fairly flexible growth.

To top it all, though, this morning I managed to break my configuration. For some reason, Skype will not keep the USB adapter as the selected audio devices. I think I upset it when I remote-desktopped to the server that it is all installed on. I've got a few things to try but if they don't work, I guess it is a case of uninstalling it and reinstalling it to see if that works.

I placed the order yesterday afternoon with DSTele.com for the Gigaset SL565 (handset and basestation) with 2 additional handsets (SL56) and the M34 USB adapter. It didn't take long to receive an email saying that the goods were being dispatched and that I would be able to use the courier's tracking service after 8pm. This morning, the phones were delivered to my work address and I've now got the handsets charging so that I can start setting it all up tonight.

The handset looks really nice - it is a bit longer than a mobile phone of the same width. I won't really know until I've got it all set up, though, what the handset is like to use in reality.

I've had a quick look through the manual and there are some features that I hadn't noticed before, like being able to set up the base station so that if a message is left on the answering machine, it can contact you on your mobile. Probably not something I'll use that often, but it is an interesting feature.

I recently wrote about my research into DECT phones that would also work with Skype. Since then, I have been able to read the user manual for the Panasonic 9000 series in more detail and then re-read the manuals for the Siemens Gigaset handset and USB adapter.

As a result, I've now placed an order for the Siemens product. There were a few reasons why:

• The Panasonic phone, like most DECT phones, has a telephone directory that is private to the handset, plus another one that is shared across all handsets. The common directory only holds 20 numbers. That just isn't sufficient.
• You can copy all of the contacts from the private directory on a Panasonic handset to another handset, but you don't get the category information copied. That is just daft.
• The first Panasonic handset sits in the DECT basestation. Given the layout of our living room, it is more convenient to have the handset separate from the basestation, which is what the Siemens product does.
• The Siemens product is more established than the Panasonic. There is a lot of experience on the Skype forums about the USB adapter and Siemens make software updates available. The Panasonic product is new, so there are no reviews or experience and there isn't any indication on the Panasonic web site about whether or not there will be software updates. The manual doesn't give any instructions on upgrading the firmware.
• The way that Siemens have implemented their solution provides more flexibility in the interaction between a handset and the PC. In addition to supporting Skype, you can listen to music streaming from your PC, you can be alerted when an email arrives, you can interact with a Messenger client, and more. I may not use any/many of those features, but it shows a level of thought and sophistication that the Panasonic doesn't offer.
• Although the Panasonic has the advantage of a camera add-on, Siemens are actually taking their concept further and have introduced Gigaset Home Control. The idea is to introduce intelligent devices that can then be controlled via the handset. This is mostly being done in Germany at the moment but, if it is successful, I could see it growing beyond those boundaries.
• The way that Panasonic allows you to make Skype calls is easier than the process that Siemens have adopted but I think that the latter will be reasonably easily remembered.
• Siemens allows you to have a Skype call and a landline call going at the same time. Panasonic don't - you get alerted if one call comes in while the other is in progress and you have to decide which one you want to keep.

I guess that time will tell as to whether or not I've made the right decision!

We've had Philips Zenia DECT handsets at home now for quite a number years and we've generally been happy with them. The main problem has been the battery life and charging the phones. The rechargeable batteries need replacing pretty much every year. We've replaced the mains adapters for the docking stations for the phones but we continue to have problems with keeping the phones charged, so I'm looking for new phones.

I've taken this opportunity to also see what can be done to tie-in with Skype. I've resisted this for a long time now, primarily because of the proprietary nature of the system but there is no denying the ease of use, the low cost of SkypeOut and the way that DECT phone manufacturers are starting to build products that integrate with Skype - something that you don't really see happening much elsewhere. That said, there are two non-Skype products - Philips have got a DECT phone that ties in with Microsoft Messenger and Siemens have launched a phone that does SIP without the need for a PC.

Philips also do a Skype+DECT phone which, like their Messenger phone, requires a PC. They are, later this year, releasing a version that doesn't use a PC and I was holding out for that, until I realised that it won't have an answering machine. That is a must for anything that replaces the existing phone system.

So I've now been looking at DECT systems that tie in with Skype even if they need a PC, and I've been looking closely at two offerings. One from Siemens and one from Panasonic; both solutions use a similar approach - a USB device at the PC end that to the DECT environment looks like an additional handset that you "dial" to in order to make a Skype call and that from the PC environment looks like an audio device for Skype to use.

The Siemens Gigaset SL565 is a very fancy looking phone. It has some very nice features including Bluetooth for a headset, address book synchronisation, picture downloads, ringer downloads, etc. Ringer melodies are MIDI format and the phone has a limited memory for that use. You can, though, assign specific pictures and ringer melodies to entries in the address book. The base and each handset can be used handsfree. The phones also have a vibrate function instead of ringing. Sending & receiving SMS is supported and if you've got the USB add-on on the PC (which is required for Skype functionality), you can also do this from the PC. All of this is available now and, from the postings on the Skype forums, it is a setup that appears to work well, particularly since Siemens have continued to develop the software.

The Panasonic KX-TG9120ES doesn't look as fancy as the Gigaset but it does have some very nice functions. It doesn't have Bluetooth, but it does have the ability to record ring tones from a socket on the phone, thus allowing you to have whatever ring melody you like. One of the features that I like about the Panasonic is that you can set a specific time period when you don't want the phones to ring unless it is a VIP caller - neat! Panasonic don't yet have the manual available online so I haven't been able to delve into the functionality as much as I have with the Siemens. One thing that makes the Panasonic more interesting is that, in addition to the Skype USB add-on, there is also a wireless camera that allows you to see the camera's image on one of the handsets. Not sure (yet) if that is what I want, but it is something to consider when trying to decide between the Siemens & the Panasonic. Also, the Panasonic is a lot cheaper.