Cordless, wireless, what is the difference of the two?
Zatni Arbi, Columnist, Jakarta
If you get confused when listening to people talking about cordless phones, wireless phones, cellular phones and handphones, do not feel so bad. You are not alone. It is more confusing than ever before, since the distinction between a cordless phone and a cellular phone seems to be getting more and more blurred each day.
But, let us make ourselves clear about one thing. Although both the cordless phone and the cellular phone do not have cables coming out of them, they use different networks. A cordless phone uses a radio frequency to communicate with its base, which is then tethered to the plain old telephone network. In other words, a cordless telephone is just an ordinary telephone using PT Telkoms's fixed line service, only there is no cable between the base and the handset that you hold against your ear.
The cellular phone is a wireless telephone that works with the cellular network. There are also other types of wireless fixed line services, such as the one provided by Ratelindo. In the future, we hope to see more wireless fixed line operators in Indonesia, as they will eliminate the "last mile problem" and therefore allow more Indonesians to have telephones in their homes.
Cordless phones have been around for many years. Why use cordless phones at home or at the office? Mobility, of course. With a cordless phone, you can move about and still keep your conversation going. You can still prepare breakfast for the family and listen to your friend's latest gossip tidbits.
Generally, when looking for a new cordless phone, people will look for trusted brands such as Panasonic, Sony, Sanyo and, lately, GE. In the U.S., people also look for Uniden. Rarely would people look for a cordless phone made by Siemens, the German company that has now become the third largest cellphone handset producer in the world.
In fact, Siemens has a wide range of cordless phones, including their BT and Gigaset models. Their Gigaset 4000 Series, for example, offers some features that others may have to adopt in the future.
Gigaset Classic, Comfort and Micro 4010 or 4015 Series are actually three similar cordless phone systems with a mini PBAX functionality. Each can handle up to six cordless handsets. The 4015 Series even has a built-in digital answering machine.
The Gigaset Micro is perhaps the most interesting one. With a look exactly like a cellphone and a weight of only 100g, it can even use accessories for Siemens 35 and 45 Series, such as the battery recharger and the handsfree headset. Yet it is a cordless phone, not a cellphone.
Not willing to be left behind by its cellphone cousin, the Gigaset 4000 Micro can even play MP3 music, and Siemens supplies a USB cable for downloading MP3 files from your computer. It can store up to 200 phone numbers. With a six-line display, it can even send and receive short text messages (SMS). You might be surprised to hear that this cordless phone can handle SMS. Well, in the near future, you will be able to even send SMS over the fixed line network as RisTI, Telkom's research and development arm, is now reportedly working on developing this feature.
What is more, if you have more than one base station at home or at your shop-house, these cordless phones from Siemens can also roam between them. The handset is also capable of voice- dialing, too. If your spouse does not want to be distracted by the tone of the cordless phone, you can use its vibrator mode. If you have a big mansion, you can also buy a repeater from this company so that you still can talk from the backyard although the base station is in the main living room.
Panasonic's cordless phones that are closest to the look of cellphones are perhaps the 2.4 GHz GigaRange models, but not as close as the Siemens Gigaset Micro Series. Meanwhile, all Sony's cordless phones are still larger in size.
While in terms of design and features the cordless phones are increasingly resembling the cellphones in your pockets, remember that you cannot take them on the road with you. You will need a cellphone for that.
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