At CES Unveiled earlier this week, Ooma introduced their next generation hardware. While pricing and timing have yet to be locked down, it’s looking like we’ll see the new gear early to mid 2009 and at a similar price point to the existing hub ($250). As implemented now, an Ooma VoIP hardware purchase entitles owners to free and unlimited US calls. An optional Premiere subscription enables advanced telephony features and the International rates are quite reasonable. As you can see from the pic above, Ooma will also be offering telephone handsets - both bundled with the hub or available as accessories. However, customers will remain free to utilize existing telephones with their units. (I use a matching cordless Panasonic with my hub, which ran me about 60 or 70 bucks for three.) While the new device and architetchure will allow for additional functionality (hey, it’s a network appliance), we’ll probably see feature parity amongst the two Ooma generations for some time. Meaning, I wouldn’t hesitate to get in now. (And I quite like the silver industrial look of my unit.)
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- TiVo’s New Pricing Summarized
- Moxi Adds VoIP Capabilities, New Executives
- Ooma Expands Premiere Services
