Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)7/20/09 UPDATE: System still terrific. Considering purchasing more handsets and replacing other, older phones around the house. Forgot to mention the very neat "clicky" quality of the base sets buttons. Very enjoyable clicky-ness! Still sad about the missing clock and calendar on the screen but have learned to use the hold function without searching first.
5/9/09 UPDATE: The phone system is terrific! Excellent sound quality, easy to use, handset never a problem. Still wish screen had a digital clock and calendar.....
ORIGINAL REVIEW: Why must buying a new phone be as complicated as buying a new car? Can't we go back to the good old days of Ma Bell? When all phones were black and only made and received voice calls.
The search for a new, two line phone was about as painful and confusing as anything I have gone through (except a recent coffee grinder debacle Breville BCG450XLConical Burr Grinder).
From past experience, I identified two manufacturers that make phones worthy of owning: Panasonic and AT&T. Serious phones, built to last. The rest, V-Tech and Uniden are, in my opinion, at the "disposable" level. A lot of features for not very much money but after 2 years they are ready for the trash. I am also not interested in anything made by Siemens because after spending a fortune on one of their phone "systems" several years ago, the damn thing started to disintigrate about 5 minutes after the warranty expired.
I wanted a corded base phone because after several blackouts and 9/11, at least one corded phone per household is de rigeur (see note on cordless battery below). I wanted at least one cordless handset because thats the only way I can get a working phone in my livingroom. I needed an answering machine that would answer both lines. I wanted a speaker phone option for those dark times when you are on hold with tech support for 5 hours. I chose 5.8 GHz because the DECT 2 line phones don't seem to have their bugs worked out and who needs to be a pioneer/early adaptor for something that you absolutely positively need for work?
I chose the AT&T TL76108 5.8GHz TWO-LINE Digital phone AT&T 5.8 GHz TL76108 Digital Expandable 2-Line Corded/Cordless Phone w/ Caller ID and Answering System
because:
1) The price was relatively reasonable...$150 deliverd.
2) It included one cordless handset in the price. Panasonic makes you buy each handset for $89 in addition to the base station. Gee wiz!
3) It had more options/feature than I would probably use or probably be able to figure out when sometime in the future, it occurred to me to use them.
4) It was offered for sale by Amazon. This is extremely important in case you need to return the phone because it turns out to be a worthless piece of junk.
I received the phone a few days ago and I am pretty pleased with it.It is very easy to set up and the hand set registered immediately. The sound clarity is very good and there is an easily accessable volume control to make things louder or softer when necessary. The base phone is tilted up so that you can read the display screen easily. The buttons are big and clearly marked. The hand set is not as flimsy as some and the sound is clear and even, with very little, if any, static or interference.
Things I don't like are basically minor irritants.
-The hold button is a soft key feature that only appears on the screen when on a call. There is no actual "hold" button.
-The screen is only lighted when the receiver is lifted.
-The dark screen issue is not that much of a problem as it does not even display the date and time of day.....this has always been a nice feature of phones with LED screens. Especially if you have time/space/continuum issues. Was this an oversight? Is my screen malfunctioning? No. What the screen displays when the phone is "at rest" is "BASE". How helpful! I had no idea it was my base phone! I can go in and name it something else, like "Useless" or "My Office Phone" but why bother? I do know that if I use the intercom to reach one of the other cordless handsets, that handset will know that "Base" is calling. But really, why no time and date?
-The screen does not display the time elapsed while on a call.
-There is no way to program the use of the "1" into the phone's memory. You can set up your directory of #s with the "1" as part of the # but when a call comes in and you see it in caller id.....even if you have already entered it in your directory with the "1", when you hit the "RDL" soft key to return the call, there is no "1" inserted. This is very disappointing! AT&T's solution is to have you hit the "#" key after you hit "RDL" to get a list of possible # variations (with/without 1, area code, etc). This is not quite intuitive but I will probably get used to the drill or go mad in the process.
-There are three separate pairs of "Line 1", "Line 2" buttons on the base set (and no hold button, but I already mentioned that). There are the two "On/Off" buttons where you can, you know, turn the line on or off. There are two "Mailbox" buttons for listening to your messages. And there are the "Line 1" and "Line 2" buttons for actually answering the phone. Very confusing and yes, I have already pushed the mailbox button accidently when I thought I was making a call. Lord knows what my husband, who never reads the instruction book, is going to do when he tries to use the phone. Hah!
-The base set can not be wall mounted.
I do recommend the phone. There will be an update after I have had a chance to kick the tires a bit longer.
3-27-10 NOTE: The AT&T Phone that I purchased is slightly different than the one photographed above! I have included two photographs to show that the phone I received has three additional buttons on the right side of the base set: a "Mute" button a "Volume" rocker switch and a "Flash" button. I have also included a photograph of the display while the phone is "at rest".
3-31-10 NOTE: As other reviewers have rightly pointed out, this is not strictly a corded phone. This means that the base set requires connection to an electrical outlet inorder to work.
AT&T's solution to this problem is to provide a compartment on the base set for a spare battery that, when inserted and fully charged, will allow the user, during a power failure, to make and receive short calls for up to 40 minutes. This battery can also be used to quickly replace a low handset battery.
This is all well and good but should you wish to purchase one of these "optional" batteries, it must be "hunted down". No mention of this battery is mentioned in Amazon's product copy. Nor is it offered as something one should purchase at the same time as the phone system. The battery is the same model as the battery in the handset, but you don't know that until you purchase the system.
The instruction book specifies a AT&T model 102, part number 89-324-00-00. This no longer exists. It has been superceeded by model "00249.
Amazon sells a variety of these batteries that are poorly rated by customers. Reviews about "not quite fitting but if you insert a small piece of carboard...)turned me off. However, a highly rated battery is available on the same page, mixed in with the bad ones. It is from HomeTheatre 24, an Amazon third party vendor. This battery costs more than the others but is an AT&T branded product AT&T 00249 - Phone battery NiMH 700 mAh. Home Theatre 24 is not the "preferred" seller of this battery, you have to search the "More Buying Choices" box on the left in order to find them. The battery arrived in two days and it fit the base station perfectly.
Click Here to see more reviews about: ATandT TL76108 5.8GHz TWO-LINE Digital Corded/Cordless Answering System (Titanium and Metallic Charcoal)
Product Description:
The AT&T TL76108 5.8 GHz Digital Corded/Cordless Phone with Dual Handsets and Answering System has many value-added features that make it an ideal choice for busy homes. By employing Digital Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping technology on the 5.8 GHz spectrum, the TL76108 offers better sound quality, enhanced range, and increased security compared to phones that operate on a lower bandwidth, such as 2.4 GHz phones. The TL76108's cordless and corded handsets provide both flexibility and security, all from a single phone jack.
Both the base and the handset feature speaker phones and the system is expandable allowing use of up to eight handsets through a single phone jack. The phone also features 2-line operation. An intercom allows you to talk between handset and base, and you can transfer calls between them, as well as hold a conference with up to seven parties. The phonebook can hold up to 50 entries and the phone features lighted keypads and displays. Users can choose between 10 selectable ringer melodies, and the system has a battery backup for power failure operation. A 2.5mm jack on the handset allows for hands-free use when connected to a headset.
A built-in digital answering machine system records messages on microchips for reliable performance, instant access to messages, and the ability to selectively save and delete messages. The phone supports caller ID and call waiting, with a 50 name/number caller ID history and the option to set personalized ringers. The phone system is both table- and wall-mountable.
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