Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 18:33:34 +0100
From: andrew@jester.USask.ca (Derek Andrew)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Desperately Seeking Adam (All Digital Answering Machine)
Reply-To: andrew@jester.USask.ca
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 634, Message 6 of 12

This is a survey which attempts to find the best tape-less telephone
answering machine on the market.  I am restricting the search to
standalone tapeless machines for the following reasons:

1. Mechanical machines may be subject to wear and tear;

2. Digital machines should have certain neat features 
   such as being able to delete the second of three 
   messages, or being able to playback the message at
   different speeds;

3. Not worrying about what else is required as in the 
   case of a plug in board for a PC or a ZyXel modem.

The machines I am aware of are listed below with my comments.  I do
not have personal experience with any of them and am soliciting your
views. Please tell me about any machines that are not on this list.

Prices are in Canadian dollars and are included only for relative
comparison.

All machines listed support remote operation from a DTMF telephone.


General Electric 9821

This machine is a telephone with an answering machine built
in. It uses the microphone in the telephone handset and the
speaker is the earpiece. It does not include a speaker and does
not allow call screening. It can record up to two minutes
of messages. Cost is about $60 to $80.  No record of time and 
date of the call is logged. This unit is being discontinued 
in favour of ...

General Electric 9831

This model includes a telephone but also allows call screening (I
assume through an external speaker.) It costs around $150 and records
up to ten minutes worth of messages.  Time and date of the call is
recorded as well.

ADAM (All Digital Answering Machine) from Phonemate

This unit is a telephone and answering machine combined.
Unfortunately, I have only seen it advertised on the Canadian Home
Shopping Channel for about $250, regularly $300. The announcer claimed
it had all the features you would want, but only detailed the
following: it has a LCD display which told the time and date of the
call during playback (I assume this was voice synthesized for remote
operation); it could be programmed to phone a particular number after
it had taken a message (a step up from you having to call it to get
your messages); and the telephone could store several numbers.  It
could vary the speed that messages were played back.

ATT 1337

This is a standalone unit capable of recording seven minutes
of messages for about $150. It allows call screening and has
a digital readout telling how many messages have been recorded.
It does not appear to record the time and date of the call.

Please send your responses to me at Andrew@Sask.USask.CA and I will
post a summary. Please try to include suppliers and prices if you have
them.


Thanks.

Derek Andrew, Manager of Computer Network & Technical Services
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Saskachewan, Canada, S7N 0W0
Andrew@Sask.USask.CA, +1-306-966-4808,  52 11 23N 106 48 48W