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Help searching for tech features

Discussion in 'Techno-Magic' started by SlickRCBD, Aug 27, 2024.

  1. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
    Latest gem: Glittering Beljuril


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    I'm getting frustrated.
    Can anyone share some search tips on how I can look for affordable devices with certain key features?

    Case in point.
    I'd like a new desk phone with a caller-ID that has some kind of back lighting so I can see it when I get an 8am wake-up call on my day off after I just worked the weekend or did a late-night shift when the blinds are closed and the light is off.
    That way I can tell who is awakening me when I was trying to sleep in.
    Unfortunately they don't seem to advertise that feature. Caller-ID yes, but whether or not it is backlit is not apparent.

    Next example of what I'm trying to find: An answering machine that will wait at least 45 seconds before answering, preferably a minute instead of being limited to a maximum of 20 seconds.
    My old one could be set to wait up to 90 seconds, the new one will do "up to 4 rings" which translates to a scramble with 20 seconds to get to a phone and determine if I recognize the number, which runs smack into the "I can't see the caller-ID" after getting out of bed when I get the early morning wake-up call after working until 2am and it turns out to be some robocall scammer.
    Heck, I'm having trouble when cooking putting things down and wiping my hands in 20 seconds then going to the phone 15 feet from the sink and pondering if I recognize the number or if it is another robocall scammer. I get at least a dozen of them a day.


    Sorry if this is a bit ranting, I'm frustrated with the searches when trying to find what I want.
    Of course the real problem is the robocall scammers who ignore the toothless "Do NOT Call List" and the way the phone companies broke the Caller-ID when they were patching in the VOIP system that allows it to be spoofed to make the scammers untracable.
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2024
  2. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Would this work as an all-in-one solution? User's manual says up to 7 rings for the answering machine.

    I just used the search terms "backlit desk phone" on Amazon and this came up on top. I often use Amazon to search for things even if I don't buy from them; the searches seem good and often a link to a user manual is on the page as well.
     
  3. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
    Latest gem: Glittering Beljuril


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    I'd have to get used to using the desk phone by my computer in my bedroom as the answering machine, instead of having it by the kitchen so I can see if there are any messages when I get home from work and am hungry for dinner.
    The kitchen has a wall mount for the phone and it's tricky to find one that lets me hook up an answering machine and I'm not sure that there is room on the baker's rack for a phone where the answering machine is due to the handset cord getting in the way.
    Yes, they are corded because the cordless phones don't work when the power is out. ComEd is better in the 21st century since they did some major infrastructure improvements around 1998, but power outages still happen. Nowhere near as bad as in the '80s and '90s, and usually less than an hour, often only a few minutes, or just as often only a few flickering lights that reboot the computer (though usually it happens several times in a 15-30 minute time period), but they happen.
    The "afternoon thunderstorm knocks power is out all day and night, but is usually back on when you get home from school/work" outages are rare since 1998.
    I do have a couple of cordless phones too.
     
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