Telephone Reviews

If you have any other sound card than an extremely basic one, this is not for you. As stated in another review you lose stereo sound when this device is hooked up. I have a high quality sound card with 5.1 and when this device is set to speakers, it only comes out of the left channel speakers. When it is set to headset, it comes out of the headset and the right channel speakers. There was not enough info on the product to find this out before you hooked it up and tried it. Mine is going back.

I purchased the said item and it was a gift from above. I could play games with the headset, then listen to music through the speakers.
Then I realised that it eliminates Stereo sound.
This means that I don't know if that bad guy is coming from the left or the right of me.
Not very useful at all.
It is now unplugged, and i'm back with headset only.

Other reviews claiming mono are wrong - when I first plugged it in I too noticed all the sound coming out of only 1 channel. However I then pushed the plug fully and firmly in and it works fully in stereo confirmed by several tests and hasn't reverted back.

Sound quality?

I bought 2 of these, since I have surround sound headphones (Zalman 5.1s) and good speakers (Klipsch Promedia 4.1s) to switch between. This is combined with an Audigy 2 ZS sound card so I was very concerned about losing any quality. After comparing several sources (mp3's, speaker tests, games) with and without the switch, I'm personally not able to discern any difference in sound quality so far in the hours I've used it.

In short works in stereo and can save a lot of hassle constantly changing plugs in the back of your PC. Definitely recommended.

I have had this phone for nearly 2 years and have to say that I am satisfied. The sound quality is very good and the I love being able to page the handset from the base. Great speakerphone but the lack of battery backup bothers me still. A pretty good buy.

I have had this phone for a good 5 years. I have dropped it countless times and it still works excellent!
Great phone - Great price.

I have had this phone for about 3 years going on four.. I bought the phone for the range. And at that time that was the highest range now they have 5.3 I believe.. Anyway the phone still works like a charm.. I have another phone in the living room and Panasonic and quiet frankly I am not happy with the phone.. But my Sony takes a licken and keeps on ticking.. The battery doesn't run down as fast as the other phone. And I can leave it off the base for more than a day with out having to charge it up..

The mute button has to be held down continuously and doesn't work as expected. When another extension for line 2 is in use, you are unable to pick up line 2 on this phone. When a line 2 extension is in use line 1 and line 2 on this phone both become line 1. Also the hold button does not always work either. All in all it's not very usable or reliable phone.

This phone is OK for the money and will serve as a basic 2-line budget speakerphone. The sound quality and features are acceptable for the price. Be warned, however, that the mute button is not very useful. It only mutes while the button is being pressed. As soon as you release the mute button, you are off mute.

Considering the price, the phone works great. It doesn't have all of the features of the more expensive phones, but you get what you pay for. For the money, this phone works great. If you just need a phone with two lines, this is it.

This is a phone of good quality, but I'd recommend buying a better phone if it will be your primary phone. We use it very little as it's just not quite as good as our other phones.

The Uniden EXP 7901 has the basics you want in a cordless phone such as clear reception and a long battery life, but it is nothing special. The best 'extra' features are the three ring choices and volume control, the handset locator and the low battery warning. The major drawbacks of this phone are an echo of your voice when talking, the weight of the handset (fatigue becomes a factor over long calls) and the ring volume doesn't go loud enough to be heard if there is a lot of background noise such as TV or stereo. The Uniden EXP 7901 is good to have as a spare, but I don't recommend it as your primary phone.

THIS PHONE IS GREAT IT HAS NO ENTERFERANCE AND YOU CAN HEAR THE PERSON THAT YOU ARE TALKING TO PURFECTLY CLEAR . I WOULD TELL ANY ONE WHO ASKED ME THAT THIS IS A GREAT PHONE.

...P>The features and the look are always very nice and they're all sturdy and durable but they lack the most important part: FUNCTIONALITY!!!

This phone would not even let me place calls at times, it beeps and a message that reads something like "NO CONNECTION" appears on the screen eventough I'm standing right next to the base, and even when I do manage to get a connection the reception is terrible.

Believe me on this one, I'm a big fan of Sony products but do yourself a favor and look elsewhere when buyin telephones. ...

I'm an addict of Sony products, I can't buy any electronic other than Sony but this will be the last phone that I ever buy from them. I've bought 3 cordless phones from Sony at different times and I am convinced that they DO NOT know how to make a phone with quality reception.

The features and the look are always very nice and they're all sturdy and durable but they lack the most important part: FUNCTIONALITY!!!

This phone would not even let me place calls at times, it beeps and a message that reads something like "NO CONNECTION" appears on the screen eventough I'm standing right next to the base, and even when I do manage to get a connection the reception is terrible.

Believe me on this one, I'm a big fan of Sony products but do yourself a favor and look elsewhere when buyin telephones,...

We've had this phone since January 2002, and the Sony SPP-N1025 has been a very reliable cordless phone. Reception couldn't be better. No matter where in the house, or how far out in the yard I am, reception is excellent. I've never once heard an echo, or had a "no connection" prompt. Reception is as good as with a corded phone. You have a choice of 4 types of ringers. Basically, its soft to shrill loud. We have ours set on ringer #3, right in the middle - not too shrill, not too soft, just right. If you like your phones to play those annoying songs instead of ringing, look elsewhere. Just for the record, this phone does not have an answering machine.

I can't help but believe that anyone who gets a "no connection" prompt standing next to the base, has their base sitting or mounted near something in their house they should not have it near. The owner's manual names places where the base should not be placed. It states that you should not place the base near or on a TV, VCR, personal computer, heat source, direct sunlight, microwave, noise source such as a window with heavy traffic outside, another cordless phone, away from excessive moisture, extremely low temperatures, dust, mechanical vibration, or shock.

The only reason I don't give this phone 5 stars is because some of the pixels have been cutting out in the caller ID. Its not enough to keep me from identifying names and numbers, but enough to be annoying. That could be due to the battery pack getting low. I plan to buy a new one soon. If the pixels are all working in the caller ID after I get the new batteries in the handset, I will edit my review to show 5 stars.

Edited March 22, 2004: I bought a new battery pack, but that was not the problem with the pixels cutting out. It was worse some days, and then the caller ID would be perfect for a week or so. In February of this year the caller ID got much worse. Sometimes its almost impossible to identify a name and number. I'm just sick about this. I have already purchased another caller ID cordless phone (not Sony) that has very good reviews, from Amazon. This Sony phone is a great phone in every way, which I have stated above, but the caller ID is almost unrecognizable. I hope Sony has improved this flaw in their newer phones. I have a Southwestern Bell caller ID box I bought in 1994 that still displays like its brand new. I expected more from Sony.

If you don't have caller ID and just want a great cordless phone with great reception, this is the phone for you. But if you want a great phone AND caller ID that will last, at least as long as the phone does, look elsewhere.

I agree with the previous review. This phone cord worked twice. Now, it only retracts about half way, and keeps getting worse. I'm returning it for a refund. Don't waste your time with this.

I am on my second one and I will be returning this one also. Both of them worked once and then would not retract fully after that. I was so mad I almost threw it against the wall. I thought the first one was a defect, but then when I got the second one I realized it was a design flaw... If you buy the Targus one keep your receipt because I guarantee you will be returning it. What I don't get is how Targus has the guts to release this product and also put on it: Satisfaction Guaranteed. What a joke...

This is wonderful for laptop users that travel or like to move your laptop around a lot. If I leave my laptop somewhere I hate having to worry about tripping over wires and wires everywhere just look bad. This is really small and compact! Perfect for traveling too. I've used it for about 8 months now and it hasnt had one problem...it still recoils well!

I loved the styling and sound of the Gigaset but after just a week or two the display on the unit stopped working. The rechargeable battery wouldn't charge some of the time either. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this unit. If you feel the need to buy it though, hang on to the receipt and box and don't be surprised if you find yourself returning it shortly after.

The most expensive and the most disappointing of a long line of cordless phones I've owned and operated in Manhattan, including an analog model from Sony and digital models from AT&T and Panasonic.

High marks on looks, but this model has very poor sound quality -- comparable to last-generation walkie-talkies. (I can't count the number of times callers have asked if they'd reached me on my cell phone!) I also found the interface less than intuitive, requiring *three* button clicks to simply redial a number. I should also note that from day one I've experienced extrememly inconsistent recharging cycles.

Perhaps rural or suburban dwellers will experience better sound quality, but I counsel city folk to stay away from this unit.

I've owned this phone for a couple of years and everything works fine except it recharges batteries at a very high charging current which basically kills batteries in short order. Even using the recommended high charge rate Panasonics, they generally only last a six months before being able to sustain a charge

This product certainly looked pretty on my wall, but that's about the only positive point. The cord to the handset was short, and had to be replaced for normal use. The handset touchpad places the numbers in two rows of buttons rather than the normal 3 rows, making it hard to find numbers. The letters on the buttons were small and nearly impossible to see while dialing. The phone worked for about 3 or 4 months, and then became gradually more and more static-prone until it stopped working -- and this was with light use, no dropping of the phone, etc. I finally gave the phone to my young daughter as a toy and went back to a boring but reliable and easy-to-use phone.

Mine's didn't work.

Vive Le Revolution.

It's a bright and shiny phone, there's no doubting that, but stare at it long enough, waiting for her to call, and that smile turns into a mocking grimace.

Buyer beware!
Every single product I tested made by Veo does not perform half of what is claimed on the box or advertised by sellers. Quality is simply not acceptable if you will make it work.

Dont expect ANY support! There is no 800 number, nor filing out customer support form on veo.com brings any results. After trying couple of times with the letter below, I did not get any reply from them, not even that my email was received!

I guess VEO mentality is:
-we will make a crappy product,
-we will make up stories about performance,
-we dont care if product does not even work,
-we dont have to spend any money for tech support,
-we will take your money and run,
but some fools will still buy our products!

Here is what was emailed to company:

This is the third Veo camera exchanged from Circuit City that I am not able to make it work correctly.

Computer: 2 years old Dell Dimension XP, SP1, with ad on PCI 5port USB 2 card made by Ratoc.

Camera: Velocity Connect

Problem: -after installing the software and connecting the camera, "Found new hardware wizard" tries to install the software, but the result is "Cannot Install this Hardware, because the wizard cannot find the necessary software..." Pointing to CD, does not find drivers either.

It could be the USB card. If you want to know more about Ratoc USB2 card or problems people have with them, follow the link: http://www.usbman.com/Reviews/ratoc_usb_20_5.htm

But those problems seem to be with USB 1 devices. And this Ratoc card on my computer works fine with HP Laser printer, Pioneer DVD burner, etc.

Camera works with usb1, but the reason I bought it is because of the resolution.

The low light resolution is horrible! What a lie on the box where it states "ultra low light lens"

I feel sorry about VEO products, because I am not able to make them work on none of my computers. Other product I had to exchange for this Velocity camera was VEO Network Observer. The software could not install on none of the computers. This specific Dell mentioned above and other computer with DVD drive. The CD simply could not run, just kept spinning. CD itself was without any flaws.
The camera could be accessed with the browser , then worked for 2 minutes and then all it could do is show vertical streaks .

This camera I exchanged for the same one thinking that installing software would help, but had the same results. Even making the camera work, quality can be described "could not catch a thiev"

Would never ever buy anything made under Veo name

Compared to the other netcams out there that have built-in PAN and TILT functions, the price makes it a great deal. I wanted to use it to create a time-lapsed movie of my backyard going from a dirt lot to a personal oasis 8-). I was disappointed that the provided software only gave me basic functions (record, snapshot, pan, tilt, zoom). I WISH it had capabilities like
- scheduled monitoring (ex. record from 8am to 5pm),
- software-based motion detection (currently requires an optional sensor),
- 'take a snapshot every X seconds' feature.
Also, it sucks that only one user can access the camera at a time. Has anyone figured out a way to stream the video (or snapshots) over the Internet (so a bunch of people can view the webcam)?
Currently, the only third-party software application I could find that supports the Veo Observer is Netcam Watcher Professional by Beau Software (www.beausoft.com).

I was a bit harsh on this camera when I first started messing with it, but after a week I've warmed up to it. The images are decent, the auto white balance is above average, the built-in microphone works well, and the integrated pan & tilt puts this unit above the other web cams in its price range. Compared to the other web cams I have, wireless as well as wired, this one is well worth the money.

Now for a small reality check. It's not a 640x480 camera, its 320x240. You have the option to enlarge the image in the application's built-in web browser, but it just doubles the 320x240 image. Forget about the digital zoom. The image is nice though, well above average for a web cam with sharp focus, good contrast and excellent color control. You can opt to allow the system to run on auto or manually select exposure as well as red, blue, and green levels.

The description below the camera on this page says: "Microphone required for sending audio" which is confusing. It has a microphone built-in. You can add an external microphone to the camera if you like, but the inputs are bare wire terminals instead of mini plugs. The built-in mic should be good enough for most uses.

The Veo also has a display that shows you the last three digits of it's IP address, so if you have a DHCP server on your network you can see what address it's been assigned. The kit comes with a low profile bracket and mounting plate that lets you attach the camera to a wall so that it can cover just about any room using it's pan & tilt controls.

I plan on buying a couple more of these things.

I chose the VTech 2961 because I had used the VTech brand before and was pleased with its reception. This particular phone has many features and a great answering machine. Unfortunately, the signal fades during conversation frequently enough to be annoying. I do not recommend this phone.

Just the facts: A) the handset has a very uncomfortable feel to it, making a long chat very irrating B) I returned my first under warranty because there would be breaks where I heard nothing, the replacement ended up doing the same thing, sounds like you are using a cell phone, the co. blamed it on interferrance but none of my other cordless models do this and they are much older C) The digital answering machine message sounds awful. The message is often garbled and unclear making it sound like a worn out tape model. D) I'm replacing it!

This is one of the best phones we've had so far. Granted, the voice quality has a little static without the antenna fully extended. But, I haven't found any other cordless phone that doesn't suffer from a problem of this kind.

The battery holds the charge well, it lasts a long time away from the base, I can wander over to my neighbors and keep talking, and the physical construction quality is surprisingly good considering the price. I think the Siemens [dollar amount] phone system feels more fragile than this phone.

All in all, I think this phone is a good buy; I'm thinking about buying another one.