Telephone Reviews

My experience mirrors that of the reviewer below. After about three months, my phone would give me 'out of range' messages, even if you're standing right next to the base unit. It would typically happen after sitting on the charger for a long period of time. I tried changing the battery, and it seemed to fix the problem at first, but it soon returned.

My phone was a refurb that I bought, so I thought the issue may have been specific to my phone, but reading the reviews here, I see that it's a problem with ALL of their phones. I notice that the newer Panasonic phones here seem to be getting positive reviews...it may be just because the reviewer has had the phone long enough for problems to surface.

I have had this phone since October 1999. I purchased it for several reasons:

1) It has the newfangled 2.4 GHz Spread Spectrum Technology

2) It is cordless and headset compatible

3) It has caller ID, caller ID with call waiting capabilities

4) It did not have an answering system

5) It worked with the voicemail I have from the phone company

At the time, it satisfied all of my needs perfectly.

Overall, the sound quality is acceptable. The battery doesn't last as long as it did when I bought it, but that is to be expected. I thought, though I was mistaken, that I could add an additional handset to the base system. Right now, I need more phones in my home. That I cannot add additional handsets is a drawback.

The headset option is key for me because I ruined my neck at work from long hours on the phone. I can only talk on the phone with a headset or I get a giant neck ache. This phone works well with a headset and allows me to do lots of activities while on the phone.

Unfortunately and ironically, the biggest advantage of this phone is also its worst feature. Once you have used the headset, the phone cannot be used in non-headset mode. After removing the headset, I cannot get a dial tone on the handset when I press talk. This is frustrating/annoying for people who want to use the phone without the headset.

I called Panasonic to find out how to fix this problem and the representative said it happened because I was not using a Panasonic headset. I bought one, but the problem was not eliminated.

By chance, I discovered that the phone could be restored to non-headset mode if the headset was removed, the handset was placed on the base, the phone was set to auto-pick up and the handset was picked up while receiving an outside call. I used the Panasonic headset after the phone was "reset" like this and the problem still existed.

I remain frustrated because I haven't been able to find my "secret fantasy" cordless phone. This phone meets part of the criteria, but falls miserably short.

I love this phone! I have no idea what these other people are talking about. I owned a Uniden 900Mhz that would produce unbearable static levels when I was two feet from the base. Finally though trial and error I figured out that the problem was that the base was too close to my computer monitor and the magnetic field from the monitor was causing the static. The Panasonic 2.4 is unaffected by where the base or the handset is located and I think it's the best phone ever made. A friend of mine has the same model and we laugh we love our phones so much. Between the two of us we've had two dozen other models before this one and we both agree that this one far outperforms all of the others, not even close. You people with the out of range problems need to locate the base somewhere other than on top of your TV, microwave or the bottom of your pool.

My experience mirrors that of the reviewer below. After about three months, my phone would give me 'out of range' messages, even if you're standing right next to the base unit. It would typically happen after sitting on the charger for a long period of time. I tried changing the battery, and it seemed to fix the problem at first, but it soon returned.

My phone was a refurb that I bought, so I thought the issue may have been specific to my phone, but reading the reviews here, I see that it's a problem with ALL of their phones. I notice that the newer Panasonic phones here seem to be getting positive reviews...it may be just because the reviewer has had the phone long enough for problems to surface.

I have had this phone since October 1999. I purchased it for several reasons:

1) It has the newfangled 2.4 GHz Spread Spectrum Technology

2) It is cordless and headset compatible

3) It has caller ID, caller ID with call waiting capabilities

4) It did not have an answering system

5) It worked with the voicemail I have from the phone company

At the time, it satisfied all of my needs perfectly.

Overall, the sound quality is acceptable. The battery doesn't last as long as it did when I bought it, but that is to be expected. I thought, though I was mistaken, that I could add an additional handset to the base system. Right now, I need more phones in my home. That I cannot add additional handsets is a drawback.

The headset option is key for me because I ruined my neck at work from long hours on the phone. I can only talk on the phone with a headset or I get a giant neck ache. This phone works well with a headset and allows me to do lots of activities while on the phone.

Unfortunately and ironically, the biggest advantage of this phone is also its worst feature. Once you have used the headset, the phone cannot be used in non-headset mode. After removing the headset, I cannot get a dial tone on the handset when I press talk. This is frustrating/annoying for people who want to use the phone without the headset.

I called Panasonic to find out how to fix this problem and the representative said it happened because I was not using a Panasonic headset. I bought one, but the problem was not eliminated.

By chance, I discovered that the phone could be restored to non-headset mode if the headset was removed, the handset was placed on the base, the phone was set to auto-pick up and the handset was picked up while receiving an outside call. I used the Panasonic headset after the phone was "reset" like this and the problem still existed.

I remain frustrated because I haven't been able to find my "secret fantasy" cordless phone. This phone meets part of the criteria, but falls miserably short.

I love this phone! I have no idea what these other people are talking about. I owned a Uniden 900Mhz that would produce unbearable static levels when I was two feet from the base. Finally though trial and error I figured out that the problem was that the base was too close to my computer monitor and the magnetic field from the monitor was causing the static. The Panasonic 2.4 is unaffected by where the base or the handset is located and I think it's the best phone ever made. A friend of mine has the same model and we laugh we love our phones so much. Between the two of us we've had two dozen other models before this one and we both agree that this one far outperforms all of the others, not even close. You people with the out of range problems need to locate the base somewhere other than on top of your TV, microwave or the bottom of your pool.

I really hate this phone. I've bought the basic $19.99 GE special (in black or white)in the past and those phones, sad to say, are much better than this one. This phone is nearly impossible to program. It is awkwardly shaped and slippery so I am constantly dropping it. You have to monitor the battery constantly because the thing always dies in mid-conversation. It also cuts out -- just goes dead sometimes - for no apparent reason. It also makes an awful chirping sound when returned to the cradle or when it rings. The keys are SO sensitive that it is nearly impossible to even enter numbers or letters. Alas, it seems like my spotted history with this device might be over. It died on me today after a year of ownership. I replaced the batteries. The thing is still dead.

i bought this phone after trying the siemens dot-com phone (2000 series previous generation) and thought this would be even better. unfortunately it seems as if siemens cut a lot of corners in making this phone. first, the buttons are not firm enough. they are large enough but you have to push almost exactly in the center of each button for it to register. very annoying... makes a lot of mistakes if you're one of those quick dialers. the older models had firmer buttons. the other major thing wrong is the cheap lcd display. instead of dotmatrix like the older models, it displays characters with lines the way those $5 calculators do. and you have to hold the phone at the right angle or it will be too dim. the phone is also packed with features but accessing them is very tedious. simple things like adjusting the volume requires several keypresses. probably saves money by using software. on the plus side, the sound is excellent. better than some more expensive phones. haven't used the handsfree yet but it's nice to have the option. the range was good to about 120 ft outdoors. after that it starts making click sounds. i haven't gone farther than that yet. one other plus was that it comes with rechargable AA nicad batts so replacing them should be cheap and easy.

i'm most likely gonna keep the phone. the sound quality is excellent and i think i can live w/ the negatives. i don't want to bother with shipping back to amazon. if you just want straight up sound quality, then this is a decent choice. the last gen siemens are probably a better choice and they cost about the same as these.

Packed with a lot of basic and practical features, the Siemens 4010 gigaset phone system solves the problem of having too many different phones around the house. This was my problem for quite sometime before I got this product but the first network-able phone systems where expensive. Luckily, there now quite a few models and brands to choose from their respective prices have gone down considerably.

The 4010 has great sound quality and so far, attracts little or no static at all in most call situations. The handset is nicely designed and comfortable to hold and ergonomically works when held up to your ear. It has good weight and possesses a footprint very similar to a cell phone. I particularly like this unlike the bulkier handsets that are available today.

Being able to add additional handsets to one base unit as well as having an easy to read, backlit LCD screen are some of the 4010's major strengths. If you are one who is used to programming a cell phone, the 4010 is quite easy to program.

It's menus, despite being unconventional and odd in it's interface, can be adapted to quite quickly with some help from the set-up manual.

My main complaints on this phone, which are minor in my opinion, are the lack of any weight or bulk to the base unit, which causes it to slide around when you try to replace the handset . The docking station on the unit itself is oddly angled, and the two docking prongs make it hard to line up the handset and the base unit sometimes.

My other complaint is the odd clicking noise the keypad makes which drives me nuts. (it makes the phone sound like a fisher price kiddie toy) Luckily, this sound can be turned down low enough not get on your nerves.

Other than that, The 4010 is a great system that performs the basic tasks you can ask for in a phone. Available caller id and one touch dialing along with ample storage capacity for names and phone numbers make the 4010 a reliable communication system for the home.

I really hate this phone. I've bought the basic $19.99 GE special (in black or white)in the past and those phones, sad to say, are much better than this one. This phone is nearly impossible to program. It is awkwardly shaped and slippery so I am constantly dropping it. You have to monitor the battery constantly because the thing always dies in mid-conversation. It also cuts out -- just goes dead sometimes - for no apparent reason. It also makes an awful chirping sound when returned to the cradle or when it rings. The keys are SO sensitive that it is nearly impossible to even enter numbers or letters. Alas, it seems like my spotted history with this device might be over. It died on me today after a year of ownership. I replaced the batteries. The thing is still dead.

i bought this phone after trying the siemens dot-com phone (2000 series previous generation) and thought this would be even better. unfortunately it seems as if siemens cut a lot of corners in making this phone. first, the buttons are not firm enough. they are large enough but you have to push almost exactly in the center of each button for it to register. very annoying... makes a lot of mistakes if you're one of those quick dialers. the older models had firmer buttons. the other major thing wrong is the cheap lcd display. instead of dotmatrix like the older models, it displays characters with lines the way those $5 calculators do. and you have to hold the phone at the right angle or it will be too dim. the phone is also packed with features but accessing them is very tedious. simple things like adjusting the volume requires several keypresses. probably saves money by using software. on the plus side, the sound is excellent. better than some more expensive phones. haven't used the handsfree yet but it's nice to have the option. the range was good to about 120 ft outdoors. after that it starts making click sounds. i haven't gone farther than that yet. one other plus was that it comes with rechargable AA nicad batts so replacing them should be cheap and easy.

i'm most likely gonna keep the phone. the sound quality is excellent and i think i can live w/ the negatives. i don't want to bother with shipping back to amazon. if you just want straight up sound quality, then this is a decent choice. the last gen siemens are probably a better choice and they cost about the same as these.

Packed with a lot of basic and practical features, the Siemens 4010 gigaset phone system solves the problem of having too many different phones around the house. This was my problem for quite sometime before I got this product but the first network-able phone systems where expensive. Luckily, there now quite a few models and brands to choose from their respective prices have gone down considerably.

The 4010 has great sound quality and so far, attracts little or no static at all in most call situations. The handset is nicely designed and comfortable to hold and ergonomically works when held up to your ear. It has good weight and possesses a footprint very similar to a cell phone. I particularly like this unlike the bulkier handsets that are available today.

Being able to add additional handsets to one base unit as well as having an easy to read, backlit LCD screen are some of the 4010's major strengths. If you are one who is used to programming a cell phone, the 4010 is quite easy to program.

It's menus, despite being unconventional and odd in it's interface, can be adapted to quite quickly with some help from the set-up manual.

My main complaints on this phone, which are minor in my opinion, are the lack of any weight or bulk to the base unit, which causes it to slide around when you try to replace the handset . The docking station on the unit itself is oddly angled, and the two docking prongs make it hard to line up the handset and the base unit sometimes.

My other complaint is the odd clicking noise the keypad makes which drives me nuts. (it makes the phone sound like a fisher price kiddie toy) Luckily, this sound can be turned down low enough not get on your nerves.

Other than that, The 4010 is a great system that performs the basic tasks you can ask for in a phone. Available caller id and one touch dialing along with ample storage capacity for names and phone numbers make the 4010 a reliable communication system for the home.

I bought this phone for its sleek design and affordable price. The first problem I encountered, after the warranty had expired, is the famous battery problem these phones face. No amount of charging or battery swapping could remedy the poor performance of the phone. I would be cut off 15 minutes into the conversation. The second problem I recently faced was the degradation of the sound quality down to unintelligible sounds. Finaly the phone started muting my conversation at random intervals. Very poor performance for a phone.

Both batteries died within a year of minimal use. Backup battery seemed like a good idea, but what good is 2 dead batteries??

I have three of the HS 8500 phones. My family uses them simultaneously with no cross-interference at distances up to 1/2 mile. No other phone - especially the gigahertz phones - have been this good or this dependable. The battery problem is fixable. For those of you disillusioned with the 8500 or the 9520, I'd like to take them off your hands.

Don't buy this phone! I bought it when it first came out (so it was quite expensive), hoping that it would be better than my other 900Mhz phone. This phone is nothing but static. Not-to-mention you can hear other peoples conversation even after you change the channels numerous times! Another annoying thing, is that after it hits 40 on the caller id; you only see the number when the phone rings, if you try to look for it at a later time it's not there! Like the call never existed. All-in-all, definitely not worth the money. Especially, not what I paid for it!

I have had my phone for about a year and a half now. I like it. It has a lot of nice features, without being too pricy. The only problem that i have encountered is that i have had continuous problems with the battery on my phone. Since the the third month of ownership i have had issues with it. (the time/date voice is a little annoying too), but my main issue was the battery.

I was skeptical at first because the price was so low for all the options you get plus an answering machine built in. The answering machine is easy to use and has very clear reception with a time and date stamp. A far as the phone, I never had a phone with such clarity and that would work so far away from the base unit with no static. To date, I have not had to change channels on any of our phone calls because of reception problems. The GE 2.4ghz phone does not interfere with our other 900mhz phone cordless phones in our home.

The battery dies within 30 minutes if taken off of charger. Phone is now completely dead and is less than 6 months old. Company says I need to buy a new battery. I am not going to waste my money. I threw it away. What a waste of $.

I bought this phone under a year ago and the battery is already dead. At first i liked it but, as I quickly found out the battery does not stay charged, after a half an hour it dies. I do not recommend this phone, I am in the process of looking for a new phone.

I loved my phone that I got a few months ago. With the telezapper built in the calls have drastically dropped. I have no problems with the beaps or rings cause I've ajusted them to me. Now, I know I've only had the phone for a few months but so far no battery problems. The range is awsome, I can walk around the house outside with my kids with no problems or static. I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones.

Problems I have had with this phone:

Display on the phone randomly stops working and I either have to take out and replace the battery (which then results in a drained charge) or keep replacing on the charger until it come back. Either way it's a huge inconvenience.

Reception is unpredictable at best. Sometimes it comes in great and sometimes it comes in lousy... kind of something I would expect in a cordless, although with a 2.4ghz I expected better... but really it doesn't seem like the cordless technology has made any leaps and bounds in the last 10+ years.

If I place it on the table in speaker mode and don't place extremely gentle the phone shuts off.

Features are ok.... it's kind of a pain to delete calls in the caller ID.

Not the best phone I coudl have spent the money on. Now that I have had it a while I wish I had done a little more research, since this was an impulse buy.

Stay away from this thing...

Like every one else says, it won't hold a charge at all. It also has problems answering while it's ringing. Additionally calls are filled with static when near a microwave.

After dealing with panasonic for over a year regarding the short battery life (1 hour at most) I have finally gotten somewhere thanks to Jon's review. I wrote to panasonic after my friend returned her phone to them and it was repaired. I asked them if knew they about the problem with this phone, why weren't they letting people know? They refused to provide any help and said if I was still in warrantly I could return it. Otherwise, I was out of luck. Panasonic was certainly aware of the problem with this phone, but clearly refused to publicly accept responsiblity or issue a recall. Thankfully, with a post it note, I have been able to solve the battery problem that has been plaguing me since I purchased this phone. If you own this phone, try Jon's suggestion it works!

I know many people have stated this already but do not buy this phone! The longest call I am able to have is 45 minutes and then it takes 24 hours to charge. It has done this since I bought it!

This was an okay phone, kind of annoying, but okay. The echo was very annoying for me, but the wife says it is okay and she doesn't mind. Really the only reason we kept this phone was because of the talking caller ID for the kids. The 2.4 mhz interferes with my local wireless network which is also annoying. So anyway, the power has gone off, and the blasted phone flashed all the lights and says E3...which isn't documented in the manual, nor is any information about what an E3 is, is available from somewhere else like panasonic.com.

I could not believe it. I woke up this morning and there it was and E3 error. I tried everything, new battery unplugging and re-plugging....nothing. I gave up and called Panasonic. I told them about the error and they said it was something inside the circuit. Panasonic will send a box for me to ship it to them and they will send a refurbished phone.

I read the other complaints and most referenced a power outage but this did not happen. All this after I bought the phone exactly one year.

I found it interesting that customer service did not find this out of the ordinary!

Too many complaints about the same problem, think twice about buying

The AT&T 1726 is a compact 3-mailbox answering machine. It's sound quality is fair but a real drawback is the fact that the announcement must be recorded "handsfree" (you can't use a telephone or a handset unless you call in remotely). It's sensative microphone picks up the slighest rustle of paper which also makes volume levels fluctuate. The 3 mailboxes are simple one-button access to easily recover your messages. Unfortunately, they are not accessed by password, which means anyone that has access to your machine can listen to anyone else's mailbox messages. It's date/time stamp provides day/time announce which means if the message is saved or not listened to initially for over a week, you don't know which "Tuesday" it's referring to - this week's or last weeks. Finally, when listening to messages, you have to listen to them over the speaker rather than a telephone handset (again, unless you call in remotely). That means everyone in the room hears your messages as you do.

Overall, it's not a bad little machine for what it costs. I've been in the communications industry for over 25 years and have seen hundreds of answering machines. The 1726 has some great features even for a little box, such as 40 minutes of recording time, call screening/intercept, and announce only. The remote access is not easy to use and you must carry a card with you to know all the functions necessary to retrieve your messages. But the toll saver is a plus, even though it's on most untis that have been manufactured in the last 20 years. Number announce actually speaks the caller ID information however you must let it ring 3-4 times before it announces the info - which means your call is most likely going to the recorder before you have a chance to answer it. You can pick the call up even if it's gone to the recorder, but many callers hang up as soon as they hear the announcement anyway so you end up calling them back. A caller ID display works much better, though would add to the cost of the unit. If you're looking for a nice little answering machine, this isn't too bad. However don't be sold on the "3-mailbox" issue. You might as well get a standard "one-box" answering unit because ultimately, that's all this one does. If I see there are 4 messages, I can go to whichever boxes they are saved in and retrieve them. Why not simplify and just go to one box anyway? For the price it's okay. But I think I'll stay with my older Panasonic tape unit. The Panasonic sound quality is better and it's less hassle than this AT&T unit even though the Panasonic doesn't have the date/time stamp. I hope the 1726 sells well at the next garage sale....

This machine is yet another illustration of how quickly technology innovation moves forward (the cynical person would wonder if the vendors were intentionally keeping these machines less capable to sell their ever-green answering services).

This machine is very small and packed with features. The one review here at Amazon.com said that you couldn't see the caller's ID. This is true but the ATT1726 will speak the number for you before you have to answer the phone. Way cool.

Other outstanding features: 1. A priority code lets your important callers signal that they're on the line via a special ring; 2. Set your toll saver not only to 2/4 but also to 4/6 or up to 7 rings; 3. With caller ID, the machine will store the incoming number with the message and even (get this, telemarketing haters!) have an automatic message for blocked ID calls saying they can not be accepted and then just hang up; 4. Have callers select a mailbox for their message using a key press--good for roommates; 5. great remote access controls, multiple outgoing messages, announcement only, memory protection for power failures, listen to messages at fast or slow speeds, customizable options like call screening (on/off) and message alerts (beep sound/nothing)...I could go on but you get the point. I had ATT's last machine (the 1725) for years and this is a stellar upgrade. The only drawback I can think of is that the engineers overloaded the buttons with different functions (prob. to save space) making the interface a bit dodgy--setup can be tricky. Great instructions, though.

This thing is awesome. And J&R sell it for [money]!! The price at Amazon.com [money] can't be beat. Although I just got the machine and don't know yet about service issues and the like, my recommendation is to get rid of those silly answering services and save some bucks.

Not much to say other than I'm not disappointed in any way. This 1726 comes with a separate cord, not a captive cord that's never long enough, or needs an adapter if you've already got a cable, so no hassle there. Audio quality is fine, both out-going and incoming. If I had to complain about something it would be that there is nothing to complain about. Just the way I like it. I've a Motorola MD681 5.8 GHz w/answer machine on another line and the answer machine on that is of lesser quality than this 1726 (though the MD681 phone is pretty good, with great range and volume).

AT&T used to stand for American Telephone & Telegraph. When did that change...