VTech Archives - Jen is on a Journey

VTech Phones: Model CS6519-14 Cordless Phone

March 8, 2013 by The Mom Jen 85 Comments

Feeling lucky? Just in time for St. Patty’s Day, VTech wants to spread the luck of the Irish! Maybe you’ll find gold at the end of the phone line! Perfect for any green-themed room, college dorm or apartment, or as an accent in your office, VTech’s Green CS6519-14 Cordless Phone with Caller ID/Call Waiting is a quality phone at an affordable price.

We have 5 VTech phones in our house and they all are fantastic. Clear reception, static-free speaker phone, volume controls for pleasant rings, and hold a charge for a long time…we haven’t had any problems yet! Here are some of the great features of the CS6519-14 model:

Caller ID/Call Waiting*—stores 50 calls
Know who’s calling with Caller ID/Call Waiting. Handset displays the name, number, time and date of incoming calls. * Use of Caller ID features require a subscription from your telephone service provider.

ECO mode power-conserving technology
Power-conserving technology manages consumption for optimal battery performance.

Quiet Mode
Silence the ringer on the handset and base unit immediately, or for an extended period of time.

Expandable up to 5 handsets with only one phone jack
Expandable up to 5 handsets with only one phone jack—accessory handsets (sold separately).

Additional handsets can be placed anywhere in your home or office near an outlet, no phone jack necessary. Convenient, flexible and easy to use.

DECT 6.0 Digital technology
Utilizing the latest-available frequency band, this interference-free technology provides superior voice and sound quality and higher protection against eavesdropping than 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz phone systems.

50 name and number phonebook directory
Easily store and dial frequently called numbers.

The VTech CS6519 phone retails for a wonderful price of $19.95. For more details, visit, http://www.vtechphones.com.

Giveaway sponsored by representing media agency. All opinions my own.

VTech Connect to Cell Answering System with Caller ID/Caller Waiting

May 24, 2012 by The Mom Jen 6 Comments

Over the years my family has gone through a variety of telephones, and while many of them have been decent, most of them have had one issue or another with some aspect of what they offer. Either the line wasn’t terribly clear, or the ringer was obnoxious, or you could barely find a button or hear the message left on your answering machine.

Now that we’ve tried the VTech Connect to Cell Answering System, we know we’ve found the last phone we’ll ever want! Not only does it offer more than any phone I’ve ever owned, but it follows through with everything on a high end level.

Two-handset system equipped with DECT 6.0 digital technology for the best sound quality, security and range in cordless phones
Connect to Cell connects up to two BLUETOOTH wireless technology-enabled devices
Download cellular directory – up to 200 entries
Expandable to 5 handsets (uses DS6501)
Handset speakerphone
Eco Mode power technology
Silent Mode ringer control
Digital Answering System: ITAD accessible from handset, 14 minutes record time and large backlit 7-segment message counter

The digital answering system is clear as a bell, and both of my kids could figure out immediately how to playback the messages. There are a variety of choices for various rings and tones, and we were able to find one we really like. In fact, the first time we heard it ring officially, Charlie said, “Wow, that’s really nice!”

Another great feature of this phone is the Connect to Cell option. You can actually pair your cell phone to the land phone and then use the land phone to make and answer cell phone calls. This is ultra handy when my battery is low, or when one of the kids wants to make a call, because I prefer that they not take my iPhone out on a trek through the house or their room. Since we use my cellular phone minutes vs. paying extra for long distance on the land line, this is a fantastic feature for our family. You can even download and store your cell phone numbers into the directory of the VTech phone. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

Lastly, the VTech phone uses DECT 6.0 Digital Technology, which translates to providing superior voice and sound quality, and higher protection against eavesdropping than other phone systems. I could not be more pleased with the quality of this phone, and for the first time in a long time, I don’t mind when I receive a phone call.

Available at: www.vtechphones.com and at major retail stores such as Target, Staples, Radio Shack, Kmart, Best Buy and others.
MSRP: $59.95

Merrie is writer for the Jen is on a Journey and you can also find her at her blog, Sleepless Mornings: “I’m the mother of two beautiful children, an Executive Assistant, a scrapbooker, a baker, and sometimes I’m even fun to be around!”

Product was sent for our honest review. All opinions are our own.

VTech: Connect with Loved Ones this Holiday Season

November 22, 2011 by The Mom Jen 143 Comments

After all the shopping is done and the baking is decorated, what do you really look forward to during the holiday season? Is it really that expensive electronic you’ve been eyeing all year, or is it your family or friends you rarely see? What is most on your mind, well, VTech Communications recently took a survey on holiday season attitudes and behaviors:

• The holidays may be the most important time to reconnect with loved ones – and the easiest way to do that according to a recent survey is with a phone call. Nearly half of respondents said a phone call to catch up is the best present a distant friend or family member could give them during the holiday season. In fact, a phone call outpaced gifts under the tree, holiday cards and emails.

• Parents want to get everything done and still have time to enjoy the season, but moms (33 percent) and dads (32 percent) say that find that balance is a challenge and causes stress. In fact, 48 percent of moms said if they had an extra set of hands to get things done, they’d spend more time with family and friends.

• Shoppers are still feeling the effects of the economy, with nearly half of respondents ranking having “more money to give presents” as their top wish during the holiday season. In addition, 47 percent of consumers said not having enough money is the most stressful thing to worry about during the holidays.

• A special moment with family and friends is all consumers want for the holidays. The holidays are known for great food and special traditions, so it’s no surprise that consumers embrace the season for its togetherness. Survey respondents ranked a holiday meal (24 percent) as the No. 1 thing not to miss during the holidays, followed by a special family tradition (22 percent). The holiday spirit rings strongly, as the overwhelming majority of consumers don’t want to miss out on any seasonal festivities with only 13 percent of consumers saying “bah humbug” to holiday cheer.
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Product provided for giveaway, no other compensation accepted.

VTech MobiGo Touch Learning System

June 2, 2010 by The Mom Jen 1 Comment

My older two children and I have iPod Touch devices. My son saved birthday and Christmas money to buy his, my oldest and I both received ours as gifts. It’s a hoot to watch the 3 of us all on them at the same time on with our fingers dancing across the screen. My husband and four-year-old feel left out for sure and play pretend with remotes and books as their special touch devices, they’re hilarious! My youngest child is in luck, VTech Kids, the company that is famous for it’s fabulous children’s electronic toys is coming out with a new gadget for the younger group to feel cool and high-tech!

Introducing the MobiGo Touch Learning System geared for children ages 3-8. Now our smallest children will be able to mimic our smart technology with their very own working electronic learning device. The MobiGo has a touch screen that allows your child to tap, flick, rub, spin, and drag their way around age appropriate games and skills!

Something I’ve been wishing for in elementary school is that computer classes actually teach kids how to type, rather than pecking at a keyboard. The MobiGo has a fully operable keyboard that slides out and helps those little fingers find their way around a QWERTY keypad. Genius!

What more can they do? Educational games: From fishing, coloring book pages, drawing and playing instruments, kids can discover a wide variety of fun and engaging games similar to “apps” found on smart phones and devices. Learning skills: MobiGo teaches a wide range of skills including math, vocabulary, spelling, logic and categorization. The handheld gaming console makes learning fun on the go for little hands and is equipped with headphone and AC adapter jacks.

Our take: We’ve had the MobiGo for about a day and a half and my daughter’s waking hours have been using it with excitement and pride. The included game cartridge has 6 different games with easy and difficult settings for each game. At 4 years old, she’s been learning to identify letters and in the “shooting gallery” game, she’s searching for them on the attached keyboard with great success. Big brother (age 9) helped out on the addition game (“space challenge”) and “music maestro” was having her follow with music on a piano! The MobiGo is pretty amazing in it’s capabilities and the price point is reasonable for a birthday or Christmas gift! It’s portability is a great selling point for long road trips and quiet time….hallelujah! I was afraid the snapping motion of opening the keyboard was going to be an issue (help me!) but it is easy for her, just making sure she doesn’t get her fingers pinched when closing it. The included USB cord is for connecting to the MobiGo website where you can upload scores for the games, and download “rewards” earned while playing. I’m really impressed by this game! It does take 4 AA batteries, my only wish is for a way to “charge” the machine itself. Hopefully the batteries will last a while.

The MobiGo will be available at Toys ‘R’ Us for purchase at the price of $59.99.

I received a MobiGo to facilitate this review. The opinions are our tried and true experience and was not influenced by any other source.

VTech Bugsby Reading System

December 8, 2009 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

11 years ago I was in the classroom teaching Kindergarten and first grade. At that time I had few children that started school knowing how to read. Even a few that had little knowledge of letter and sound recognition. That’s what we taught at that level, phonics, the basics to reading. As my children have gone through the educational system in the past decade, I have found that those basics are starting in preschool…even at home. More and more kids are entering Kinder with a lot more skills than before. Honestly, I think learning toys like the VTech Bugsby Reading System can be thanked for giving kids the encouragement and tools to learn to read at an earlier age.

Every touch of our magical pen brings reading to life!

Join Bugsby the Book Worm on a magical reading adventure! Your children will love reading along and interacting with their favorite characters as they build early reading skills. Kids will fall in love with reading as they have fun listening to stories read aloud by their new reading pal, Bugsby. Children build reading skills through play as Bugbsy takes them through reading comprehension, phonics, sentence structure, word recognition and more. Kid friendly in design, the Bugsby Reading System includes software cartridge with every story book title – no additional downloads required!

Our Take: My 3 year old daughter started preschool this year and is becoming more and more confident recognizing letters. I think since we started using the Bugsby, her confidence has tripled and she is eager to get the books in her hands and attack some of the words on the page. Slowly we are identifying letters and words that are matching the pictures in the book and I see her becoming more independent on initiating reading time during the day. The pen is fun to use for her, fits her hand nicely, and I like that there is a volume button on it, especially when we’re in the car! Each book has colorful photos and the words/lettering are in a perfect font for my daughter’s little fingers as she points out recognizable letters. I’m amazed at the technology of the Bugsby and that at such a early age of 3 my daughter show so many signs of interest in learning to read!

Recommended for children aged 3-7, the Bugsby Reading System sells for $29.99 and can be found at stores such as Target, WalMart, KMart, Sears and Toys ‘R’ Us. The accompanying books can be found at those stores as well and have popular titles and characters that kids will recognize from Television. Dora the Explorer, Wonder Pets, Wubzy, and Max and Ruby to name a few, those books that come with a software cartridge run for $12.99 each.

I was sent the Bugsby Reading System free of charge in exchange for an honest review. The opinions were our tried-and-true experience and were not influenced by any source. I was not compensated in any way.