Telephone Reviews

The phone has been teriffic. The call out caller ID is great. It allows you to record who the number belongs to in your own voice and description instead of more common feature of a computerized readout of what the phone company assigns as caller ID to the number. Same question from me as other reviewers- does anyone know what model replaced this one? Would love to get same features to replace my aging one.

I too bought the phone for its call-out feature. It is the best innovation since caller ID; I can't imagine why it's been discontinued. It kept me sane at the dinner hour when the ringing began around 7 p.m. The phone I have has endured for several years, continuing to store its 20 numbers with codes, to store a history of 100 incoming calls, call out names of callers, and provide all the usual digital answering machine features. I wish someone could tell me where to get another.

can someone please tell me what model replaced 7720 exactly? i want the same features

I've had Vonage now for about two months and I'm overall impressed with it's service, features and pricing. My phone calls have been crisp and I have yet to have one drop. However, Vonage has had intermittent connection issues -- which, when encountered -- render the phone useless (you can't make a call, receive a call, or have a call forwarded to another number). So, don't expect to get the "dial tone" reliability of your plain old telephone service (POTS). Also, be aware that the service won't work if your power goes out. This is especially important in case of emergencies. While Vonage does provide 911 support by allowing you to specify the address where the device is installed and routing calls to the nearest Public Service Answering Point (PSAP), without electricity, you can't get in touch with 911.

As for call quality, it's been great (on par with POTS and better than cell phones). I use a cable modem and have never experienced any choppiness or delays in the conversation, thanks, in part, to the Motorola VT1005v VTA giving preference to the voice data over the local data. Though the VT1005v doesn't have any clout on your broadband provider's network, so if that pipe bogs down, you may experience call cut-out.

One oddity to report: occasionally, when I hang-up a call, the phone will ring again immediately, even though the call should have been terminated.

Overall, you get a great deal for your money (includes many "optional" POTS features, like caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling, last call return, voicemail, and call forwarding). You can use Vonage to replace your standard phone service and save quite a bit of cash, but I'd recommend having a cell phone as a back up in this case -- otherwise, keep an existing POTS line and use Vonage for your long distance. You can even get "virtual numbers" in other cities, so that loved ones can call you without paying long distance charges.

I read reviews of bad support and all that, but the support I got was awesome. I had to take the device out of the country and the guy actually called me on an international line to troubleshoot. It works great from India and basically if you have broadband connection, kicks out any calling card BS out of biz. At 15 buks a month you get unlimited in coming calls, so I can call anyone physically in India and talk to them at virtually no cost. The quality is 1000 times better than all calling cards and much much better than most cell phone calls. The advanced features of setting voice quality, real time billing etc are also great. Be warned though that the router (Motorola) is a bit sticky, and can need a bit of tweaking if your cable provider isnt a straightforward cable/dsl connection. Once you get it set up the benefits are too good to resist.

Here's the answer to sky high phone bills. THis kit allows you to make use of your broadband internet connection to make and receive phone calls.
You hook the VT1005 adaptor to your modem. Plug your PC ethernet cord into the PC port on the moto device. Reboot modem allow it to come online. Then power up the moto box. Wait at least 5 minutes. Then plug in your phone. You will have dial tone.
I make calls to Cyprus and UK all the time on this and I've had no issues. I have not used 911 so I cannot comment on that. However, day to day calls in and out of state have gone well after the initial teething problems that normally come up on a new device.

For stability sake, I have it parked behind a Netgear router. THis helps the moto box focus on Voip functions rather than try to do all DHCP, NAT, firewall, DNS, and gateway functions.

YOu can visit the site www.vonage.com to see all the features that come with Vonage. ALl inclusive regardless of which plan you choose.

I was looking for a phone in the 5.8 GHz frequency band so as to reduce the interference with a home wireless LAN.
After using the phone for a few days I can provide some pros and cons.

PROS:
> Long battery life...thanks to a 1400 mAh Nickel Metal Hydride battery. Compared to our 2.4 GHz PANASONIC with NiCd batteries this is a marked improvement in battery life. On standby the battery lasts 3-4 days.
> Sound quality comparable to other cordless phones
> Range: Works about 500 feet away from base
> Simple setup
> Ergonomic design
> Spread spectrum technology. Makes eavesdropping harder
> Handset speakerphone in addition to speakerphone on base
> Choice of ringer tones

CONS:
> If another phone in the house is in use the speaker on the base blinks with this blue light. Motorola said it cannot be turned off. The LCD display message "Extension in use" is sufficient ...the blue light is really not required
> Not a true 5.8 GHz phone. Motorola informed me that the handset to base uses 2.4 GHz but the base to handset uses the 5.8 GHz band
> Separate Caller id. To delete the calls in your caller id list you have to delete them from the base and handset separately.
> User manual is too short. Missing: Technical specifications, detailed explanations of some features

All things considered this phone is a good buy.

We had a failure of the base unit for our Siemens Gigaset 4210 system, which made the whole system inoperative. Although this system is still under warranty and will be repaired, we never liked using it. Therefore, we decided to replace that system with a different one. We considered 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz cordless phones. We did not have any requirements for extraordinary range or wireless LAN compatibility. The choices were numerous, but our final selection of a new Motorola MD671 system resulted after a compromise of our requirements.

Our needs seemed to be simple, but just try to satisfy them in a cordless phone or phone system. While researching our choices, we came across a review that stated "... if these features are available in a cell phone, why can't I have them in a cordless?" We strongly agree with this remark, and we feel that the manufacturers should get their cell and cordless design teams talking to each other to exchange some of the good feature ideas.

Our requirements for multiple phones or a phone system:
• Speed dial or memory dial
• Long battery life
• Ability to operate during a power failure
• Phonebook sharing among the handsets and base (system phones only)
• Clear, easy-to-read display
• Good sound quality
• Solid feel and comfortable to use
• Speaker operation in all handsets
• Voicemail notification (FSK light)
• Caller ID

We did not have requirements for other features, such as intercom, so other reviews may be helpful when considering those features. We also did not want to get into a phone or system with an answering machine.

After using the Motorola MD671 system for a few days, I can provide some pros and cons, from our perspective. You can see that it is a mixed bag that did not meet all of our requirements.

PROS
• Very simple to set up and use. The menu is limited and intuitive. It is the polar opposite of our former Siemens phones. What a joy to see Motorola keep it simple.
• The buttons have a good spacing, although they are small and hard to read, and a nice rubbery feel.
• 1400 mAh NiMH battery should have long life and does not need the discharge cycles that a NiCd battery does. It should have about 50% longer life than the Panasonic 850 mAh NiCd batteries.
• The battery meter shows small increments of change, unlike the other phones that we tried. For example, our former Siemens handsets show remaining battery capacity in three discrete segments.
• A spare battery pack can be inserted into the base unit to keep the phone system working during a power outage. Motorola estimates that the unit will operate for about 2-1/2 hours. No base-unit functions will operate on backup battery power, but the handsets will be fully functional. Note that handset batteries can be interchanged in the base unit for longer power-outage operation.
• Sound quality seems indistinguishable from most corded phones.
• Speakerphone operates great. It has clear sound, and it is full duplex, although you will not see that it is in the user's manual.
• Display uses large characters, making it easier to read, possibly even without your glasses.
• Handsets have a rubber edges, which provide a comfortable, "grippy" feel. The handsets feel great in the hand and on the ear, and they have a solid, well-balanced feel.
• Simple volume switch located on the rubber edge of the handset.
• Easy to mute while using the handset.
• Voicemail light works great. Not only does the base unit flash, each handset flashes when there is a message waiting.
• Small antenna looks good, never gets in the way, and is less of a temptation to our bird.

CONS
• Each handset and the base operate independently. Therefore, when a missed call is registered on the display, it must be cleared from each handset and base to have a "clean slate" waiting for the next set of calls. Likewise, each CID register must be independently cleared. It would be more convenient to have an action at one unit affect the whole system.
• Blue backlighting is a little difficult to read. Perhaps white or a light shade of green would be easier to see.
• User's manual is too brief. It does not include some of the features of the phone, such as pressing a letter on the keypad to quickly go to the start of that section of the phonebook.
• No phonebook sharing, which means that you need to key in phonebook entries into each of your handsets and the base individually. This feature could be good for families with multiple teenagers, who each want to have their own phonebook that cannot be changed by another handset.
• No one- or two-number speed dial. This one I just can't understand, because cell phones and most other cordless phones have it. On this phone, you either need to scroll through the phonebook (you can use the shortcut described above) or sign up for speed dial from the phone company. We did the latter.
• Handset does not stand up in a "normal speakerphone orientation." However, the belt clip and the battery cover keep the speaker off of a surface adequately to lay the phone down, buttons up. In this position, it will never fall over while using it.
• Information is hard to find for this phone. For instance, the Motorola site compares their cordless phones, and they say that this model has speed dial (it doesn't) and does not have redial (it does).
• If you like to cradle your handset on your shoulder, this phone may be too slim.

Overall, we think that we found an excellent cordless system, but we will have to use it longer to really have an adequate experience base for comment. If this phone had shared phonebooks and speed dial, we would "be in cordless heaven."

Great phone with superior reception and voice quality. Stylish and more compact then the picture reflects. Large display on the base. My only complaint is that I have to clear the caller ID's for the handset and base independently. Would be nice if I could do both at the same time. Might be one of the pricier models, but worth it!

I originally wrote a review on this product which I bought from deals789. That review was not very positive. After communication with the merchant and much energy applied to satisfy the situation on their end I am very happy with the solution to the problems that I was having. They handled the situation in a very professional mannor and worked with me diligently to get the problems resolved. I highly recommend this merchant and can say first hand that if there is a problem with the equipment that this merchant will go out of their way to rectify the situation and make you satisfied. I thank them again for the way they handled my problem.
Willie Sabarese

The previous reviewers failed to appreciate the best feature about this phone - internet calling capability!

What attracted me to this phone is that it connects to the speaker & microphone lines on my PC and easily toggles between the regular phone line and the computer hookup. I wanted to use free internet phone calling, but didn't want to be stuck at my desk with a headset wired to the computer. It was really hard to find a cordless computer headset - locally or online, and I am thrilled that I found this one. Now I use it for most of my regular and internet calls.

This phone is comfortable to wear and gets excellent reception anywhere in my house. I have never heard any static, although I have occaisionaly wished that the adjustable volume would go a little higher. The keypad and the volume control located on the headpiece are indispensible if you want to carry the phone around the house with you. And the internet calling is terrific. This phone will pay for itself in a few months, since I now make most of my long distance calls for free.

My sister gave me this phone as a gift when I was pregnant, because she said I would need something like this when my hands were full with nursing, holding, or rocking my baby. She was so right! I can't stand to use any other phone anymore - this is the wave of the future! Like other reviewers, I have had the headset phones that have a cord to connect to a compact cordless unit that you can attach to your waist (like a Walkman), but have had the same problem with the cord getting tangled or caught on something and literally jerked off of my ear.

I have not had any major problmes with volume, but I don't have sharp hearing, so more volume would be nicer. I DO NOT find this bulky at all - in fact, it is very comfortable. In fact, when I work in my garden, I just put the headset so it lays on my shoulders. Range is great, no static (ever really), and I absolutely love the keypad on the headset - it has raised bumps on the number 5 key, and now I just feel for that to do my dialing, or key entry.

The only problem I have had is that I broke the first one I had by sitting on it, glued it back, which worked great till my 2 year old got a hold of it. And when it was just not fixable anymore, I immediately went and bought another just like it. Unfortunately, it fell and broke, too, but I have glued it and it's held up well. So if they could just make it a little sturdier - or else make me less clumsy - then I would be in phone heaven.

I bought this phone through Amazon on March 30, 2004 based on the good reviews I read here. The phone worked until May 23, 2004 when it brought down my phone line and I had to have the phone company out to solve the problem. The phone line has been fixed, but the phone is hosed. I use this for my work, so it is a huge inconvenience. I hope Panasonic stands by their product.

Just bought this last week, upgrading from old 900 MHz systems, and have already ordered an extra handset. This beats having to run phone jacks in the kids bedrooms, and the intercom feature should put an end to our current "shoutercom" system that we employ whenever we want the kids to come downstairs.

Sound quality is excellent, with no degradation when I walk out to the mailbox. The speakerphone is really good too. I do wish the volume could go a bit louder, though.

Programming the thing is simple--I figured it out without going to the manual, which does appear to be thorough and reasonably well-written. The wall mounting adapter looks kind of wobbly, but that's not a concern for me.

My only serious complaint is that you can't have more than 3 handsets total in this system. I'd love to have two more. Also, I wish you could do three-way conferences with the handsets, but you appear to be limited to two.

I bought this phone to replace our old Panasonic and VTech 900 MHz phones. Well first I bough the Motorola MD451 but the constant drop out of sound could not be ignored anymore. Returned that item and bought the KX-TG2352W. Same price with less features but the sound quality is 100% better. People on the receiving end comment about it too.

Features I like about the phone:
* Excellent sound quality (even being close to the microwave and my computer)
* Intercom between handsets
* Backlit keypad and Caller ID screen
* Actual 7 days between charges (Motorola couldn't last 3)
* Cool ring tones (I have them setup on the bird call)
* Good range (about 400' from base, base located in the office upstairs)

Features I don't like:
* Limit of only three handset extensions
* This model (no answering machine) only comes in white
* Individual call directory per handset
* Menu's to get the phone to dialup voice-mail

Features I wish it had:
* Larger LCD screen, more lines
* signal strength meter
* caller directory (phone book) linked together (each phone has it's own)
* More ring tones
* Able to add more than 3 handsets
* Different color than white (black and silver please)
* One button push to dial voice-mail
* Key pad lock (for when it's in my pocket)

5 stars, I highly recommend this phone.

The price is right, but when I talk into this phone it doesn't sound natural. The voice of the person that I am talking to is good, but my voice sounds wierd. Maybe all cordless phones are this way. I don't know.

This cordless phone by Uniden is 900 mghz for excellent clarity and range. The price is unbeatable. We bought one for my father-in-law who fights anything techno with a ferocity sometimes found in 80 year olds.

Now, he delights in telling all his friends about this phone. How he can walk around without worry over tripping over a cord, how we programmed his memory numbers so he can call people more easily and his favorite feature--the pager. If he misplaces the phone, which we all have done, he simply presses the page button on the base in his kitchen, and hears his phone calling from it's hiding place!

This phone is a very good phone. Caller ID identifies who is calling you, good reception, you can recharge it anytime, and plus there is a signal button on the phone hook that triggers a beeping sound that will help you find the phone if you misplaced it. Really an awesome feature.

This phone too has lasted a long time and it is still working like new!

A wonderful cordless phone.

Nice little videophone. Th quality is not the greatest but I never expected to be. I'm happy with it so far I might buy more who knows. I recommend it if your not looking for perfection if you are look elsewhere.

I bought this 6 months back and one of my friends(Varaprasad Thupili) forced me to buy this. Infact I bought 2 of them and I took it to India and gave it to my inlaws. My wife speaks to her parents every week using this and she never had any problem. Connections are simple and picture quality is also good. My friend varaprasad and I talk to each other very often using this Video phone and picture quality is even nicer within US.

My Parents saw this product at their friends place and told me about this product. It is a simple and wonderful product. Now I can communicate with my parents easily. Also My parents can now watch their Grand Son. It reduces the distance between you and your missing ones and gives peace of mind. This Product is Simple and easy to Operate. Also with the Amazon's Wonderful reduced prices, it is definitely a Great Buy and a Great Gift.

I'm fussy about small buttons, hard to program menues, poorly lighted dials....this phone has none of that! The talking caller ID on the base unit is terrific and the plug in add-on units are very convenient. Very good reception, easy to use call log...I like this phone a lot!!

I am a certified phone fetishist. After replacing cordless phone after cordless phone, I have now found one to keep for a while. The AT&T 5800 has the best speakerphone in the industry! You can actually use it in real situations! It has the now rare battery backup feature. I rotate batteries between the handset and the battery backup compartment when ever the handset battery runs out. By never putting the handset in the cradle, this "use it up every time" method makes the batteries last a year or more. Great memory and paging functions. You have to love the blue light! I have dropped it on hard wood floors many times, unlike any other phone or TV remote, the battery and battery cover don't go flying all over. Small but crucial details for the phone connesuer.

Very good cordless phone. If I had to buy another I would do it again.

This phone started having problems from the first day we bought it. (We should have held on to our receipt and returned it right away in retrospect).
When going hands-free it would sometimes hang-up and the quality of the answering machine (understanding the person's message) was poor and never seemed loud enough.
Recently (and we purchased it about 1-2 years ago) the #4 on the key pad started sticking badly and a few days ago it started not hanging-up when it was supposed to and our phone was consequently off the hook and we didn't know it.
It was a pleasure throwing it away last night and now I am on the hunt for a truly great cordless phone!

This phone has worked great for a long time. Good reception ...
more than 50 feet from the main base. Good sound quality (hearing, speaking). Only recently did it give me some trouble: I think the battery may need replacement (after 3-4 years ... that is ok w/ me).

I would recommend it -- esp if on some closeout (for a newer model).

I bought this phone almost 4 years ago as a family gift for Christmas. It works great, and we've had no problems. Unfortunately my roommate got mad and threw it against a wall and we will have to be replacing it soon.

The TA-140 is a nice little answering machine. There is a weird flaw in its operational design, which I will describe below, but this is compensated by at least one unique feature that I think is indispensible.

First, the flaw. Although the messages and caller ID log are linked together when you check your messages at home, they otherwise seem to be totally disconnected from each other. Examples: (1) caller ID info has to be deleted separately from the messages; (2) caller ID information can't be accessed when accessing messages remotely; (3) the machine does not even take advantage of the time-and-date info from caller ID to automatically synchronize the clock for the voice time stamps. The caller ID features really could have been better integrated.

But having said that, I must now turn around and point out another caller-ID-related feature that alone is worth the price of the whole machine. Anyone who's used caller ID for any stretch of time will know how telemarketers love to get around anonymous-call-blocking by using phone lines that don't send caller ID information--since the data is "unavailable," the calls are not treated like anonymous calls, so they get through. The TA-140 can be set to answer after the very first ring if it doesn't get a positive caller ID--thus catching both anonymous calls and calls with "unavailable" info, and allowing you to screen them. To me, this feature is an absolute godsend.

As far as all of the usual features one would come to expect from an answering machine, I have no complaints. Calls are picked up reliably, sound quality is good to excellent, and hang-ups rarely if ever cause a blank message to be stored.

Overall, I think this is a good value. More expensive machines might have more logical controls and a less tinny synthesized voice, but it more than adequately does the job.

(Added July 14, 2001: Do not believe the review about lack of remote access. You CAN call in and pick up your messages from this machine remotely, like most modern answering machines.)

After my old ten dollar (...) answering machine, I wanted something that did not drop messages, had good sound quality and wasn't too expensive. This is it. I read a lot of reviews saying the voice was tinny but I bought it anyway thinking that was a small compromise for all the features. You know what, the voice isn't tinny. It has timestamps which are good, remote access [...], the option to play messages back faster or slower than normal (which is great for when people leave their phone numbers and you have to hear the whole message again). I haven't used the caller id or switchable answering machine message features. The speakerphone works well and I use it often since I still have my college phone whose battery can't seem to stay charged for more than a few hours--but that's another story. Even shows you the day of the week. Just one thing - if you're erasing the last message, press erase before the message has completed or else it will delete all your messages.

I purchased this plus an inexpensive cordless to replace my VTech-2960 because, two years after purchase, the VTech turned out to be a costly piece of junk! My kids had this Casio model and were really pleased with all of it's features and its dependability so I decided to get one also. It's great - it has more features than you expect with an answering machine (e.g. Caller ID, remote access, ringer, speakerphone, two outgoing message capability and more) plus it's really easy to program, which is nice for a change! The thing that I like the best though, is the fact that you can program this machine to send the unavailable numbers on incoming calls right to the message center - hasta la vista telemarketeers! No more dashes to answer the phone and then wonder why you bothered. That alone is worthwhile, as far as I'm concerned, but overall I'm very pleased with everything about this answering machine.