Regular phones are far from being smartphones. Sadly, the phones that most people still have at home won’t allow you to play Angry Birds and they don’t come with lots of useful apps. What home phones are good for is talking on the phone – that’s it. Sadly, regular phone manufacturers haven’t kept up with smartphone technology. However, one phone, called the Ooma HD2, is slightly different from the rest. When it comes to home phone technology, believe me when I state that “different” is always a good thing.

This phone uses VOIP technology and incorporates bits and pieces of social media. Ooma HD2 is a home phone that retails for around $60, and it’s one of the most inventive home phones that this writer has seen in awhile. Whether or not you’ll need the technology that Ooma HD2 offers (more on that in a moment) is up to you, but it’s an innovative phone all the same.

Why the HD2 Is Different

Most home phones can now display phone numbers (amazing technology, I know), but the HD2 phone does more than that. Pulling names from your Yahoo, Facebook, and Google friend lists, the HD2 actually displays photos of your friend when someone calls you. As mentioned, this isn’t a necessity, but it is one step closer to the technology that many have become accustomed to smartphone-wise.

In order to use the HD2 phone, you will have to use Ooma’s VOIP service and purchase the base that the phone sits on, but that’s rather obvious. What isn’t so obvious is that this phone is really a lot of fun to have around. Instead of listening to a mechanical voice shout out a name or number, you can see who’s calling just by looking at the handset. Of course, those friends of yours who have random social media photos will be displayed oddly, but that’s not your problem.

More Features

In addition to showcasing a friend’s photograph, the HD2 phone can also be customized. If you want to group friends into a specific category (say, “work friends), you can set up a special ringtone for this group (again, borrowing from smartphone features). Ooma also claims that the phone can be used as a baby monitor, but specs on this aspect of the phone are unclear at present. What is clear is that home phones need to get with the technological times or sink.
Ooma is one of the first home phone developers to create a phone that is somewhat intelligent. For this reason alone, Ooma should be given lots of credit.

Seemingly, other home phone manufacturers will follow Ooma’s lead when it comes to revamping the boring old home phone. Ooma just revealed the HD2 home phone technology at the CES conference in Las Vegas, and the phone should be available for consumer purchase within the next few weeks. If you want a phone that’s almost as intelligent (or closer to) as your smartphone, the Ooma HD2 is the best option on the current market.