SoloPoint, Inc.
130B Knowles Drive
Los Gatos, CA 95030
Ph: 408-364-8850; Fx: 408-364-1724
Web site: www.solopoint.com 

Price: $200.00

RATINGS (0-5)
Installation: 4.5
Documentation: 4.5
Technical Support: 5
Features: 5
Overall:  A

When we first saw the SoloPoint M-200, we started debating its shape--did the plastic housing resemble a shark's dorsal fin or Boba Fett's spaceship in The Empire Strikes Back? The conclusion was that it didn't matter. The important thing, we agreed, was that the M-200 lets you screen office or at a remote location. You can listen in as callers start to leave messages, breaking in before the callers hang up, or you can relegate them to your office's voice mail system or your answering machine. This call screening capability alone would make the M-200 cool, even if its shape were ordinary.

The unit is sturdy. (We know because we dropped it twice and it kept working.) Also, the unit has a simple design: A call comes in, and your desk phone plus a predetermined second phone (such as a cellular, car, or hotel phone) both ring. This procedure works because the second phone is "called" by the unit using three-way calling and an extra phone line (which you can share with a fax or data line). In addition, a special tone is sent to let you know that the call is from the M-200 and not an actual call to your remote number. Meanwhile, your office voice mail or answering machine automatically answers the call, but you listen to the incoming message from the second phone without the caller's knowledge. Finally, if you choose to talk to the phone, and the voice mail is disconnected. You also get the feature of not having to give out your second phone number, whether it corresponds to a private office, a car phone, a cellular phone, or something else.

INSTALLATION
Installing the M-200 was easy. On the unit's back are four analog phone jacks, a switch for choosing between voice mail or an answering machine, and a power outlet. From bottom to top, the four jacks are for the incoming office phone line, the second line, the wire to the office phone itself, and an optional answering machine. On top of the unit is an LED that blinks to show power status and whether there are any incoming messages.

You can use a digital office phone, but it must be on an analog PBX port. You should also take care to check the voice mail/answering switch. Once it's all plugged in, you can begin the unit's configuration. Dial "**" or "##" on the phone's keypad, and you hear a "Welcome to SoloPoint..." greeting. From here you can set up local and remote monitoring options (because the unit also lets you screen voice mail from the office phone). You also configure a security PIN, the target remote phone number complete with any necessary pauses, and the number of rings before the M-200 answers the incoming call, which must be less than the number of rings when your voice mail normally picks up.

DOCUMENTATION
The documentation for the M-200 is average. We dislike the chart that shows different installation options, which isn't clear about which line serves which purpose. SoloPoint recommends that you share a fax/data line with the unit's outgoing call-to-remote-location function, but they don't note that if someone in your office is using the fax machine or modem on that line, the call can't be sent to your remote location for screening. We recommend getting a dedicated phone line for this purpose.

However, we liked the rest of the manual, which has a good troubleshooting section that explains common problems in everyday English. There are also thorough explanations of how the different configuration options work, what the blinking LED signals mean, and how to program the remote phone number and insert pauses. If you travel often, you'll appreciate the details about programming the remote number, because you'll find yourself changing it as often as you switch hotel rooms. We were able to memorize the procedure and get the hang of it after a couple of tries.

FEATURES
A feature that we like is a lockout option that bars people (including yourself) from accidentally changing the M-200's options from a remote phone. You can also temporarily disable the forwarding/screening function for meetings, lunch or the like, and you can insert a "please hold..." message so callers know that something soon will happen while they wait for the voice mail to answer. There's also an option for transferring callers back to voice mail when you're done talking to them.

OPERATIONAL TESTING
Although, in our tests, the person who called us could see us (our "remote" phone was in the same room as the "base" phone), our volunteer caller was unable to tell that we were listening to his voice mail message until we interrupted it and picked up using the appropriate key press. Changing the remote number is easy and all the options seem well designed.

And, as you might have gathered, despite our bemused tone, we grew fond of the M-200's sleek design, which distinguishes it from the boring, boxy devices that we're used to in this industry.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
The user's manual has some good points, but its actual set-up sections can stand improvement. We'd also like to see a less expensive model, possibly with the option of having a customizable third and fourth remote location to call, such as a pager or home office, if you happen to be somewhere beside your second location.

CONCLUSION
We like products that simply accomplish exactly what the manufacturers claim, and the M-200 is one of those products. Although the M-200 is a bit pricy, it could quickly pay for itself, especially if it were to alert you to an important call while you were on the road, that is, if it were to help you recognize a call that would ultimately save money or generate income. It isn't hard to imagine the M-200, a solid product for mobile SOHO workers, doing just that.

We gave SoloPoint a product of the year award for a less sophisticated device last year, so this product could easily enter that class. For now, however, we will give it an Editors' Choice award, and we hope to hear from users who can tell us how well it works in the real world.