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It is an Android-powered handset that combines the functionality of a standard phone and m0bile in one unit. The cordless phone sits on a neat-looking circular base, which double up as a charger and speakerphone. The handset sits neatly in the hand with a built-in speaker providing decent sound, a one-touch screen lock button, a headphone socket, a microSD card slot and a 2.8″ colour touch screen.
The button setup will be familiar to users of an Android device, with a Menu and Back button sat alongside a d-pad and a set of call buttons. The screen sits in both landscape and portrait orientation and the display never feels feels cramped. Where the phone struggles is with the touch screen: it works, but a heavy touch is needed. This can lead to multiple taps to get a single function to work.
The iHomePhone includes Wi-Fi connectivity, which means it offers much of the feature set that the Google OS brings. There is a web browser for limited surfing, a host of built-in apps – including the excellent Tunein Radio for thousands of radio stations – and a digital answering machine with up to 15 minutes of storage. Ultimately, the iHomePhone is an interesting concept which is letdown by a few niggling problems.
