A few months ago, I moved ten minutes down the street from where I used to live to find that I'd entered into a dead zone where I can't use my cell phones. I tried three different services (Sprint, Cingular, Verizon), but they were all the same. My real estate agent did tell me that the neighborhood was "tucked away," but I thought she was referring to the surrounding woods, not this invisible wall that will admit no cell phone signal. As a result, I have to walk out to the street corner to use my phones, or wedge my head into the corner by the refrigerator where there appears to be a little crack in this otherwise impenetrable wall.

I got all excited when I heard about phone systems that allow you to use your home land line to make and receive cell phone calls. Among the touted benefits of these systems: they enable you to use your long distance minutes on your cell while at home and to have multiple users on different handsets for those cozy long-distance family conversations. I don't care about minutes or family conferences, I just want to be able to use my cell phones in the comfort of my computer room or livingroom or bedroom. Motorola, RCA, and Uniden offer these systems, though the review of these products in BusinessWeek points out that they all have limited compatability with cell phone models (Motorola's only works with Motorola phones).

Because I tend to change phones often, I like the Dock-n-Talk by PhoneLabs, which is compatible with over 650 cell phone models and has bluetooth connectivity (though it can also be used with a non-bluetooth phone if you get the adaptor). It sells for $149.99 (the online special price shown on the PhoneLabs site is $139.99).