Home phones return with three models from VTech

The home phone isn’t talked about much anymore, and the mobile is to blame, but if you’re still in need of something for that home line, one of the originals is still around, and even has a couple of new products in case your old one decided to shut shop only recently.

If you’ve paid attention to technology as long as we have, you’ll have heard of VTech, one of the companies responsible for many a cordless phone on many a continent.

Australians won’t necessarily recall the name, mind you, as the company has been building gear for Telstra for a while, but now that home phones aren’t as big as they used to be, ceding that ground to the mighty mobile, VTech is back, running with its own name, and three products for people who still need phones of that sort, and want them updated.

“As we enter the next phase of the NBN rollout and smartphone saturation reaches new heights across Australia, consumers are looking for more from their home phones,” said Mark Franklin, Managing Director of VTech in Australia.

“As well as offering entry level handsets at competitive prices, our latest flagship devices provide innovation beyond technology, enabling people to live stream video from their doorbell, connect wirelessly to multiple smartphones or block unwanted calls.”

Aside for providing a way to call people using the traditional phone line, and do so not necessarily connected to the base station, VTech is including support for Bluetooth to connect home phones to smartphones, with a relatively business-y feature — doorbell connections to your home phone — also included.

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Those features will be included on one handset in particular, the VTech Long Range 15850 with Bluetooth (above), bringing a well-lit screen, volume boosting technology, and an answering machine capable of recording up to 45 minutes, ideal for both long messages and wanting to keep old messages for a longer time.

Also of note is the inclusion of range extender technology, allowing you to put the phone further throughout the house, wandering for a longer period without fear that everything will disconnect.

This one comes in at $209 in Australia, and is made for people after a phone, a good and proper one, with three cordless phones included in the box, high definition sound, and a handsfree component on the base which itself features a dial pad.

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If you don’t need the dial pad on the base but would prefer another wow feature, VTech is releasing the 15950 Twin (above), a model with only two handsets, but bringing a doorbell with a video camera built in.

The handsets on this model include a 1.8 inch colour LCD, and will show you who is at the door when someone comes a calling. Other features on this one include the high definition audio, a volume booster, and a 30 minute record time for the answering machine, with the recommended retail price on this handset a little lower at $199.

Finally, there’s a phone for people who only need one phone.

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This one is designed to look retro, with an old fashioned look, cordless design, and a 12 minute record time. With only one handset, this one comes in at $59.

All three models should be landing in stores this month, with products on the shelves of electronics retailers across the country.