subject: Jingle Bells [print this page] Cant decide what to get yourself this holiday? How about a new home phone? Spoil yourself. Make it a cordless. There are quite a few new ones on the market. Why not add one of these to the Christmas list?
AT&T EL51209 This is a basic, cordless phone for a very reasonable price. Around 40 bucks. Be forewarned, this particular model has no answering machine function, although you can upgrade to the AT&T EL52209 for just another 10 dollars. Customer reviews give this phone high marks for performance. It's easy to use, voices sound clear and the handsets operate a good distance from the base. Which is sort of the point of a cordless phone. Right? Also, no complaints in customer reviews of crackling or interference. It operates on the 1.9 GHz frequency (which is only for cordless phones) using the latest Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) technology. So, for the modest sum of $40, you get two cordless handsets and all the trimmings: a backlit keypad, caller ID memory and a voicemail indicator. Reviewers also point out a downside: There's no headset jack and you can't buy additional handsets (the base can only accommodate three).
Panasonic KX-TG1032S This phone rated higher than any other cordless phone on the market in online customer reviews. And considering this baby is only $40, it comes surprisingly fully loaded. It has an answering machine, 17 hours of battery life and a headphone jack for the headset crowd. The only surprise is no backlit keypad. So crank up the lights before you ring up the pizza guy. Reviewers like this Panasonic for lot of good reasons: decent range, great voice quality and virtually no interference. This phone also uses Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) technology and operates on the 1.9 GHz frequency band that's reserved for cordless phones only. Professional reviews say the Panasonic KX-TG1032S is a good choice for large families because it can handle up to six handsets (it comes with two). The digital answering machine on this cordless phone has one mailbox, with 16 minutes of recording time. Sweet!
Radio Shack 43-140 This cordless phone is specially designed for people with impaired hearing or vision. It comes with corded and cordless handsets that light up like Christmas trees. Blinking red lights let you know when you have an incoming call. Ringer and earpiece volume are adjustable, and the gonzo-sized buttons are backlit to be easily read. But the really cool feature is an audible and visual caller-ID feature. Same goes for the answering machine. A downside is this phone operates on the older 5.8 GHz frequency, which is more prone to interference from the neighbors vacuum cleaner. However, the owners who reviewed the phone don't complain about interference. A few reviewers complained this phone still isn't loud or clear enough for them. But then again, some folks hearing is more far gone than others, which means your mileage may vary. Overall, reviews praise this phone more consistently than other phones for the hearing/sight-impaired. The only really bad news is the sticker shock. The dial is the only thing on this phone with big numbers. $100 is the price of entry. Ouch.
So ask Santa for one of the above cordless marvels. Surely, anybody that flies around with eight tiny reindeer is not going to begrudge even the naughtiest of us the simple pleasures of a cordless phone.
