By Patrick Avenell

Publicly listed consumer electronics supplier Mint Technology has a new range of home phones under its iDECT brand. There are three new series in this range — Eclipse, Solo and Cabrera — all available in single, twin and triple packs; and in three colours: black, white and red.

The team in charge of Mint Technology’s phone range, managing direct Kuni Ishii and marketing manager Samantha Young, learnt the market while working at Uniden, bringing with them sizable knowledge of the category.

“People are still using the landline,” Ishii said. “The same trends that are happening here occurred in the US as well. In the US market, it was really competitive about 10 years ago, but the corded and cordless market is still going.

“In Australia, a lot of people use ADSL for their internet. If you are going to use ADSL, you need to get a landline and you need a phone number.”

As phone lines are replaced with cable in Australia, Ishii expects to see technological advances making home phones more functional and practical. An example he gives is the ability for the caller ID of incoming calls to be displayed on a TV screen.

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The iDECT is targeted at the mid-to-high end of the market and has a noticeable design focus. The Eclipse range, which has a curved, circular form factor, starts at RRP $149; while the futuristic Solo series begins at RRP $59.

“If a manufacturer hits a price point like $29.95, then of course it’s going to move; then once you start focusing on that price, people start to think, ‘phones are cheap’.

“How are we going to differentiate? Through the look and how the technology works. Every supplier has a responsibility to the market regarding which direction people will go.”

The Eclipse Series features DECT 6.0 technology, handsfree speakerphone, eco-saving modes, an integrated answering machine and a 200-entry name and number phonebook. Twin packs (RRP $229) and triple packs (RRP $349) are also available.

The Solo Range has similar features to the Eclipse but with a phonebook half the size. Additional handset packs are available for RRP $99 (twin) and $139 (triple).

The iDECT Eclipse is one of the most striking cordless phones available.