2 line iPhone
As far as I know, all cell phones support just one line (one number).
Would like a 2-line cellphone (iPhone?)to keep business calls and personal calls completely seperate.
This would essentially be a cellphone with two different numbers.
Calls to business number would have seperate ringtone from personal number.
Calls to business number can be automatically routed to a voice mail 'answering machine' at predetermined times of day and days of week. (IE: Business related calls switch to answering machine mode at 5 PM each day and back to 'ring-a-ding' mode at, say 8 AM M-F.)
Company employees can carry a 2-line cell phone so that they no longer have to carry two cellphones wherever they go.
It would be great if the second line (number) could be compatible with whatever cellular service the employer utilizes in order to keep company costs down and simplify accounting for employee cell phone use.
This would mean that an iPhone might have need to have primary (personal) number assigned to ATT and the second (corperate) number to Verizon or other provider. (It would be difficult to convince an employer to switch services just so a few employees can have the luxury of carrying just one phone in their pocket.)
It seems to me that the technology required to do this would be relatively easy to implement. The iPhone may be well suited since it has processing and programming power (ie: the 'voice mail' answering machine mode could be 'internalized' within the iPhone itself, instead of having to store messages in a cellular carriers computer. This would make accessing limitless voice mails nearly instant, with no extra dialing, entering passwords, and having to wait while a computerized voice ploddingly navigates you through a whole bunch of new and old messages.
Two line cellular phones might well be a significant feature on future phones, expecially if the lines could be carried on their own cellular account (even with different providers).
I suspect that the real barrier, if ther is one, to such a device is the issue of having the same phone being able to access two different cell providers.
The advantages of a 'two line' phone might be significant enough for a major network to implement, even if it was required that both lines be on their service.
Anyway.... (Here's my personal incentive for such a device...)
I am happy with my present cellphone. My gripe.... My employer calls me all the time (my cell phone is essentially a 'company walkie-talkie' and while most calls are during working hours, my days off are kind of 'not exactly'. It would be nice to be able to 'tune out' the company (even for a little while) w/o having to turn my cell phone completely off. (I have some difficulty with managing two seperate cell phones stashed on my person during the work day.)
It is possible that a 'two line' cell phone already exists, but I have not seen one yet.
I do not have an iPhone. My present phone is not fancy, but performs it's 'phone' function well and if it gets lost or breaks, the identical model is available on eBay for less than $10 (I eBayed three spares for less than $20, shipping included.
Soo.... at this point, as much of a 'paradigm shift' the iPhone represents to the cellular world, it would take a 'two line' option to persuade me to buy one right away.
This does not mean that I won't ever own an iPhone. It's only a matter of time before my 'gadget purchasing' impulse behavior combined with a pocket full of 'spare cash' will get the better of me....
Message was edited by: SCBT
Would like a 2-line cellphone (iPhone?)to keep business calls and personal calls completely seperate.
This would essentially be a cellphone with two different numbers.
Calls to business number would have seperate ringtone from personal number.
Calls to business number can be automatically routed to a voice mail 'answering machine' at predetermined times of day and days of week. (IE: Business related calls switch to answering machine mode at 5 PM each day and back to 'ring-a-ding' mode at, say 8 AM M-F.)
Company employees can carry a 2-line cell phone so that they no longer have to carry two cellphones wherever they go.
It would be great if the second line (number) could be compatible with whatever cellular service the employer utilizes in order to keep company costs down and simplify accounting for employee cell phone use.
This would mean that an iPhone might have need to have primary (personal) number assigned to ATT and the second (corperate) number to Verizon or other provider. (It would be difficult to convince an employer to switch services just so a few employees can have the luxury of carrying just one phone in their pocket.)
It seems to me that the technology required to do this would be relatively easy to implement. The iPhone may be well suited since it has processing and programming power (ie: the 'voice mail' answering machine mode could be 'internalized' within the iPhone itself, instead of having to store messages in a cellular carriers computer. This would make accessing limitless voice mails nearly instant, with no extra dialing, entering passwords, and having to wait while a computerized voice ploddingly navigates you through a whole bunch of new and old messages.
Two line cellular phones might well be a significant feature on future phones, expecially if the lines could be carried on their own cellular account (even with different providers).
I suspect that the real barrier, if ther is one, to such a device is the issue of having the same phone being able to access two different cell providers.
The advantages of a 'two line' phone might be significant enough for a major network to implement, even if it was required that both lines be on their service.
Anyway.... (Here's my personal incentive for such a device...)
I am happy with my present cellphone. My gripe.... My employer calls me all the time (my cell phone is essentially a 'company walkie-talkie' and while most calls are during working hours, my days off are kind of 'not exactly'. It would be nice to be able to 'tune out' the company (even for a little while) w/o having to turn my cell phone completely off. (I have some difficulty with managing two seperate cell phones stashed on my person during the work day.)
It is possible that a 'two line' cell phone already exists, but I have not seen one yet.
I do not have an iPhone. My present phone is not fancy, but performs it's 'phone' function well and if it gets lost or breaks, the identical model is available on eBay for less than $10 (I eBayed three spares for less than $20, shipping included.
Soo.... at this point, as much of a 'paradigm shift' the iPhone represents to the cellular world, it would take a 'two line' option to persuade me to buy one right away.
This does not mean that I won't ever own an iPhone. It's only a matter of time before my 'gadget purchasing' impulse behavior combined with a pocket full of 'spare cash' will get the better of me....
Message was edited by: SCBT
