CES: GE Cell Fusion DECT phone connects to cell phones

Pity the embattled cordless phone. When it's not competing with home networks and other wireless devices for clear reception, it's losing call time to the cell phone, which is increasingly becoming the main phone in many households. Cordless-phone manufacturers are fighting back with new phones that use alternate networks to combat both issues:

DECT. A growing number cordless handsets from Phillips, Panasonic, GE, and others use a network technology called DECT (short for Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication) to  bypass growing congestion in the traditional 5.8 and 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) frequency ranges. DECT phones use the 1.9-GHz band that the Federal Communications Commission reserved in 2005 for voice-only applications, so they avoid interference problems caused by other wireless devices. DECT technology is also more efficient, so such phones should provide relatively long talk times between charges. Our test of the the first DECT phone in the U.S., the $100 Phillips DECT T2251G/37 (See Ratings, available to subscribers), supports both claims.

Link to-cell technology.  There are other cordless models strive to save you the step of reaching for your cell phone by behaving like cell phones themselves. They synch with your cell phone via Bluetooth technology so that you can make and take cell calls with them. Besides offering the convenience of managing your landline and cellular calls with a single handset, these cordless Bluetooth models may help you cut or eliminate long-distance bills by tapping the unused minutes of your cell phones calling plan. 

GE's GE28128EE2 Cell Fusion cordless phone (pictured above) is one of the first that integrates both link-to-cell and DECT technologies, though similarly featured models are planned from other major manufacturers later this year. Other cell-phone/landline combos we've seen only worked with phones from one manufacturer, and often just one model. But GE says the Cell Fusion will tap "most any" Bluetooth-enabled cell phone — and work with up to two at once (though it won't allow you to make or take landline calls from your cell phones). When it's available in May, the Cell Fusion will cost $179, which includes a second handset. It can support up to 5 additional extensions, though pricing for these were not disclosed. Other phone features include "Push to Talk" for walkie-talkie-style communication between handsets, and battery backup for operation during power outages.

— Michael Gikas, Telecom and Mobile Reporter