you have seen Panasonic given DECT phone the Android treatment, now meet iDECT SMART66 Android Phablet DECT Cordless Phone. announced earlier this year in Europe, London-based Binatone is bringing this smartphone-home phone hybrid to North America. billed as the world’s first “home phablet”, the SMART66 marries the convenience of a traditional cordless phone system with smartphone functionality in a 6-inch Android device. powered by a 1.3GHz ARM dual-core Cortex A7 processor, the SMART66 is a full-featured Android phone armed with a 6-inch multitouch WVGA display and runs on Android 4.2.2 OS. it comes preloaded with the standard suite of Google apps, including GMAIL, YouTube and more, plus access to Google Play store, allowing you to download more apps, games, music et cetera.
the convenience brought about by such hybrid becomes apparent when searching for local restaurants, checking on reviews, and then, placing a reservation right there and then through landline phone call. doing so with one device. plus, it keeps you entertained with the usual activities such as gaming, surfing the net, reading an ebook and more. additionally, being a connected phone, so to speak, it also offers access to VoIP apps as an alternative to traditional landline which can save you some money when placing long distance calls. other highlights include integrated DECT in Smart handset, standalone PSTN DECT base station, cradle charger for Smart handset, 512MB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, built-in WiFi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, a VGA front-facing camera for video calls, a 3.5mm audio headphone jack, microSD card slot (supports up to 32GB), micro USB port, and finally, a 2,500 mAh lithium-ion battery pack.
the only ‘risk’ is, mistaking it as your cell-connected smartphone and bring it out with you. iDECT SMART66 Android Phablet DECT Cordless Phone will be officially available on the European market starting from June 2014, though no word on the pricing. however, it will cost 99 bucks when it reaches U.S. shores. availability in the U.S. is yet to be announced (for now, we will assume it would be the same as EU).
