TECHTALK Messages for 1999: Re: Q-Phone Day 2

Re: Q-Phone Day 2

From: Edward Zabrek

stork@flash.net

Thu, 15 Jan 1998 17:16:15 -0600

I am pleased to report that the first full day of use of the Q-Phone did not provide me with any unexpected surprises. I worked flawlessly! There is even call waiting caller ID. I have programmed the phone with about 20 of my frequently used names and phone numbers. The menu system allows for easy retrieval and dialing. There is even a "quick call" feature that lets you hold down the programmed number for 3 seconds and it will dial automatically. (There are a total of 99 memory slots--if you wish to speed dial a 2 digit number you press the 1st digit, then hold down the second digit for 3 seconds and that entry will auto dial.) The only caveat to this speed dial system is that one is not likely to memorize 99 locations for speed dialing. What I have done is prioritized my top nine (1-9) most frequently called numbers and have memorized their locations. A side benefit of programming you phone with favorite numbers is that the caller ID feature will display your personalized alpha entries when you are called by that person (hospital, office, wife, L & D, O.R.,etc). The caller ID feature of the phone does not include an alpha ID display with numbers that are not programmed.

The phone allows you either answer the unit when it rings or wait to see who is calling (with the caller ID). Since this is a "flip phone", the user can program it to answer when the phone is opened (thus by passing the caller ID pre screen) or you can program it to answer by hitting any key on the phone, thus allowing you to pre-screen the incoming call. If you elect to not answer the phone, the caller will get your voice mail message and have the option to leave a voice mail message. The phone "remembers" the last 10 uses (either call outs, call ins, or programming of names and numbers). The voice mail is also active when the phone is physically turned off. Thus you never miss a call! You always have the option of checking your personalized voice mail box as you would an answering machine. There is also an indicator (envelope icon) in the top right corner of the LCD screen that indicates that you have received voice or text mail. Speaking of text mail (alpha only text messaging) I am still researching as to whether this is possible with the Q-phone. I will let you know as soon as I get it. I did address one potential problem with Q-Phone today. As I mentioned in an earlier writing, there is no means of tethering the device to your person. There is only a belt holster, once the phone is out of the holster, the only thing keeping from crashing to the floor is AIR. So I went to Circuit City and purchased a black elastic bungee cord, and then went to a fabric store and bought 1/4 inch flat elastic cord. The phone is now well suited to be held on the belt and stretch all the way to my ear without risk of it falling to the floor. I It may be less than ideal, but until Qualcomm comes up with a better solution, I think that it will work pretty well (without interfering with any of the phone's functions. I did speak with Qualcomm about this and they say that they are going to look into this.

Once again, I cannot praise this advanced device enough. I was a little concerned about running out of battery life today ( I only had 1 with me today). I had the phone on all day, and used it frequently (total talk time around 45 minutes). The battery never gave out or gave me a low battery beep. I did, however charge it in the car on the way home with the car adapter/charger. Since my schedule is so unpredictable, I will keep an extra battery and charger with me at all times so that I never run the risk of being "dead" without a life preserver.

I must say that my first 2 days of using the Q-Phone is working well with my overall hypothesis that I went into this trial with: "THE Q-PHONE WILL REPLACE MY CELL PHONE, PAGER , ANSWERING SERVICE and PROVIDE A WIRELESS INTERNET LINK FROM LAPTOP OR HANDHELD PDA" I will give the phone the full 60 day trial before I make a final conclusion, and I will keep you posted as to any "bugs" I encounter if they do occur. If this unit just allows me to replace my pager (and combine it with a cellular device) I will be happy. I don't know if any of you have experienced the difficulty in obtaining good, reliable alpha-numeric paging services. In the past 3-4 years, it seems that everyone who can dial a phone has need for a pager. This has diluted out the good service we used get as physicians whose beepers were truly a lifeline to our patients. I have gone through more hassles and headaches with poor service from the big paging companies than I would like to mention. When I have discussed it with them, they say that they have just grown too big, too fast, and cannot keep up with demand. It would be wonder if a small company like PrimeCo and Qualcomm readdressed that niche market and gave the physicians back the dedicated, dependable service that we all require. Time will tell. If my early experience with these companies and the Q-Phone are any indication, we all have great cause for optimism!

Once again, if any of you have any of your own experiences with this or similar technologies, please share them. Until then, I will keep you updated as often as possible.

Ed Zabrek, M.D. stork@flash.net TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT, Obgyn.net

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