 The best of the best |
| Review Date: May 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Ziogas, Cleveland, OH |
I think Panasonic finally got it right with this one, and I only have one (very small) issue with the phone. All in all, this is without a doubt the best cordless phone system I have ever used.
I had a previous Panasonic 5.8 gHz phone and loved it. One day after about 2 years of use, the base abruptly died, and none of the handsets would connect. I think it's a sign of a strong manufacturer, though, that when one product dies the only brand that I would even consider again is the same one.
With the previous model, I had only a couple of small complaints: 1) when you received a call on one handset, it would still show "missed call" on all of the other handsets, and 2) you had to clear the missed call list individually on all handsets. Both issues have been corrected with this phone. All handsets now synchronize automatically when you review the call list, and only calls that you truly don't answer show as missed calls. And there's no more having to copy the phone book from one receiver to another, either. Changes on one phone are mirrored on all of the others.
The large display on this phone really sets it apart from others as well. When you program the time on the phone, the display acts as a second clock. And it's readable from aross the room!
Speaking of readable, the large display also makes it very easy to see who's calling. The phone does offer the talking caller ID feature found on other Panasonic phones, but we find it to be annoying. Thankfully, you can turn the feature off in the menu system.
And that leads me to my only complaint about this phone, albeit an extremely minor one. When you get into various menus, I haven't found a way to go back one screen. For example, if I click into the caller list and then click on the individual entry, I can't figure out how to go back to the caller list. I have to go all the way out to the main phone screen and then go back into the caller list. If there was just a simple "back" button, this phone would be perfect in every way.
Of course the purpose of a phone is to allow you to communicate clearly, and this one excels in that department. Connections are clear, and it is very easy to hear the other end. The previous phone had a "voice enhancer" technology that I found to be unnatural and annoying, and that (thankfully) is not present here. But it's not missed.
I've had the phone down the street about 7 or 8 houses away, and the connection is still rock solid. We live in a typical suburban setting, and I've heard no interference or static at any time.
Also, the DECT 6 technology, operating on a lower frequency, does not interfere with our wireless computer network at all. And I've never heard any static from the microwave or any other electronic device, for that matter.
The real selling feature of this phone to me was the visual voicemail list. Since the base doesn't have any kind of indicator as to how many messages are stored, the handset serves as an excellent way to navigate the messages. And you can listen to messages in any order, and you can save or delete them one by one as well. The fact that the messages are tagged with the caller ID info is great, too!
Oh, one other feature that I haven't seen mentioned is that the keypad is lit. That makes for calling in a dark room to be painless.
All in all, this one is very deserving of the 5-star rating.
Likes: the large, well lit display; the message list (choicemail); automatic syncing of all handsets.
Dislikes: The lack of a "back" button in the menu screens.
[EDIT: Someone pointed out that you can indeed go back one screen in the menus. You just have to push the little joystick controller any direction, and the phone will return to the previous screen. Now the phone is perfect! Thanks for the tip!!] |
An Englishman's home is his castle
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| Review Date: August 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mr. MICHAEL OHARA, Pflugerville, Texas United States |
Back in the old days I lived in England. During my life there as far as I remember, I never hung up the phone on anyone (except maybe once on a member of the opposite sex, who deserved it!). When I moved to the USA in 1991 a strange thing happened. A woman from Consumer Reports called me at home, gave me some speech that I did not follow, and asked for a $150 donation. This somewhat confused me, as after I politely refused she kept talking and asked for a lesser amount. I finally realized I would have to do something I just wasn't used to. I hung up on her. It was the first of many times. I have come to hate the interruption of telemarketers and other undesirables.
So how do you get rid of them? You can pay the phone company to block anonymous calls. You can pay the phone company for the feature to block the last number you received, but guess what, charities and some other categories cannot be blocked.
This Panasonic phone has the rare and extremely useful call block feature. When you get a telephone solicitor call you can save their caller id number in a call block list. Or you can manually input the number. If they call again your phone will not ring and they will get a busy signal. This is so useful I just don't understand why it is not more prevalent. Of course it's a feature that neither your phone company nor telemarketers wants you to have. I wish the Panasonic call block list was bigger; it is only thirty entries long. But thirty frustrated telemarketers is a lot better than none!
Another feature of life in the USA seems to be the occasional wrong number call at 3:00 am. The Panasonic also has a solution to this. Each handset can be programmed to Silent Mode. Silent mode turns of the ringer between two times that you specify. Mine are all programmed to turn off at 9:00pm and 7:45am. If a call I want does come between those times the handset will not ring but they can always leave a message. No more 3:00am wakeup calls! You can if you want program different handsets to go into silent mode at different times if you wish.
Now back to basics. The Panasonic phone is DECT6.0 which does not interfere with wireless LAN connections. The sound quality of the handsets is quite good with one exception. When using the speaker phone the people I have been speaking to have trouble hearing what I am saying. I have to hold the phone within a foot of my mouth for it to be usable. In other words, the handset speakerphone feature is useless in my opinion. This is the biggest negative with this phone. However, the Panasonic KX-TCA60 Hands-Freeheadset works well with these handsets. I normally use one of these and walk around the house with the handset clipped to my shirt.
The Panasonic KX-TG7434B phone and similar models is the top of the Panasonic 2009 cordless range. It is similar to the popular KX-TG6434T. The main difference as far as I can see is a more sophisticated menu system and a more upscale black and chrome finish. The handsets are actually the same size with the 7 series having a larger LCD screen and a four way directional button for menu navigation. I like the menu system on this phone. Any feature can basically be performed from any handset. Each phone handset has access to the same phone book and answering machine message list.
Gripe. Over 10 years ago I had a Sony digital corded answering machine with 30 minutes message storage. Here we are today when I can bet a 16GB memory stick for $25:00 and the Panasonic answering system can only store 18 minutes! Come on guys spend an extra cent and double the memory! I can't penalize Panasonic for this however, because other manufactures are no better in this area.
So, to summarize, the Panasonic scores top marks for usability and convenience. The call blocker feature and the silent mode features put it above anything else out there. The speakerphone is a minus, but it still gets 5 stars.
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Finally, cordless phones that actually sound good
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| Review Date: June 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Forsyth Fan, Colorado |
I have used all of the popular brands of cordless phones over the years and have always found some fatal flaw or another, the worst being poor sound quality which seemed to be getting worse with each new generation. I hadn't tried Panasonic because I honestly didn't like the form factor end ergonomics of the phones - Uniden, Sony and others were always more appealing. After getting fed up with the last set of Uniden phones, I took the plunge for this Panasonic system and I am happy to say i am very pleased I did.
Sound quality is terrific, as is the range. No annoying echoes or static at long distances from the bases. I haven't explored all of the features, but quite honestly I really don't care about most - I just wanted a cordless phone that had good sound quality. I am also very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the speaker phone available for each handset. Other nice features include an easy to work mute button, talking callerID is actually helpful (but can be turned off), back-lit keypad and more.
The only quibbles I have with the phones are small: Navigating the menus is a bit clunky with a lot of delay; the silver bezel is cheesy (plain black would have been better); the available ring options are limited and don't include something like a more traditional ring; and the base doesn't have a numerical display for the number of messages left.
Those are small issues for an otherwise great set of phones. I'd highly recommend these to people looking for the best cordless sound quality. |
Panasonic Dect - India usage - Review
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| Review Date: July 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Santhosh Kudva, |
This is a great phone. I was looking for a phone with good buttons to thumb, light, and had a big display, primarily because I was buying this for my parents.
It installed hassel free and I was up and running in no time. I didn't have to read the manual.
Of course, I had to buy a power converter for India. There are replacement adapters available in this country, but I would recommend you stay away from them and stick to original panasonic equipment.
In terms of transmission its been crystal clear. I just had one instance where I heard a buzz on my phone line, but that was the only instance. My parents live in a 2 story home that is primarily built of stone (grantie, red brick). The base unit is far away (different floor) and the fact that the sound comes across clearly was very encouraging. Plus its pretty close to the WiFi modem and the computer. No problems at all. This phone does beautifully.
My mother now calls me a lot more. :-). You may want to factor this into your purchase.
Also goes to usability that my non-tech parents were able to use this, the intercom facility and the voice mail after just 20 minutes of explaining and guiding them through the steps.
The base unit is nice and sleek. though having a base unit with a dial pad would have added to this great phone. But simplicty wise, I think this phone scores.
I think you will like this phone if you are considering it for your home.
India users, please note, that cordless phones don't work through power outages, so you'll still need your old phone for emergencies. :-) |
Very Pleased
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| Review Date: October 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: James P. Lukaszka, Cedar Rapids,IA |
I usually don't leave a review unless I really think the item rocks.. The cordless phones I had where well over 6years old and didn't have any features. I wanted to buy something like new, but not at new prices...
These phones have rock solid clearity, features,speaker phone on the headsets along with a intercom on it which I truely love, since my 5bedroom home is 3 story's.. Really nice feature to have when u have a question to ask vereses yelling for one.
The supplier was Good As New Electronics and they arrived in mint condition.
Matter of fact, I actually love these phones so much I ordered another headset so now I have 5 phones.... If you was a really nice phone to have, buy this one.. These have to be the easyiest phones also to setup.
Sincerly,Very Pleased Customer |
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