Outdated? Young at heart!
Written: Jan 08 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unparalleled clarity and range. Lightweight, sleek handset. Lighted keypad and simultaneous dialing.
Cons: No fancy features like caller ID and answering machine.
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| kundansen's Full Review: Panasonic KX TC1450 900 MHz 1-Line Cordless Phone |
I was on the verge of selling this phone off after buying a new Uniden EXAI8985 - after using the Uniden for a month, I sold off the Uniden instead.
The fact is, this phone is dated. It does not have the fancy features that my new Uniden had - caller ID, integrated answering machine, the works. Yet, this is the clearest phone I have used so far. I tried upgrading to the new gigahertz series from Panasonic, and bought one to that effect from UBid.com - it looked great, but failed to even come up, and I had to return it back. Then I bought the Uniden - this removed the clutter from my table (see my review of the Uniden EXAI8985), integrating all three machines - telephone, answering machine, and caller ID - into one unit. However, I really missed the clarity of the Panasonic - and the lighted keypad. After a month of use, I sold off the new Uniden to the guy who was about to buy the Panasonic, and kept the good ol' warrior.
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Here's what's not just good, but simply excellent about this phone:
Crystal clear sound. believe me - I have tried a number of cordless phones, from Sony, Uniden, Casio, AT&T, Bell South - nothing beats this one. Even the Panasonic Gigarange proved to be less of a road warrior than this old horse. My house is opposite a train station, the station being about 300 feet away - somehow Sony and Uniden give a lot of static into the phone line when trains (and cars) pass by.
Excellent Range Being so close to the station, when I have to pick someone up from tehre, I just take my cordless, and treat it like a cell phone. I expected other cordless-es to behave so, but was disappointed with them. Even the gigarange is not as good when it comes to communicating through layers of trees and cars.
Lighted keypad This is particularly useful at night, when you have the phone next to your bed. Of course, the keys light up when you are dialing, or press a button, but better still, they light up upon an incoming call, so I can locate the phone without having to switch the light on and put on my glasses.
Dual keypad Couple that with the clear speakerphone - and you have a winner for those long customer service calls. Unlike some other phones, the speakerphone and the handset work well together - so when the voice says 'press 2 for ...', you can press the button whereever you like, and all you'll hear is a soft beep to indicate the entry. As far as the phone is concerned, you can press the buttons anywhere, it'll pick up the correct sequence and keep working.
Remote speakerphone trigger This is for listening to the customer service while still enjoying my morning coffee in bed. I dial the number, and press the 'speakerphone' button on the handset to pass the output to the speakerphone. For the required responses, I dial through the handset, not having to leave my bed, and keep listening to the menu on the speakerphone. Once the time comes to interact with the other end, press the talk button on the handset, and the voice is streamed back to the phone, with the speakerphone rendered silent.
4-hour battery charging This means you don't really have to worry about the battery being super charged - if it goes low, just relax for a few hours, and it's back to full strength again.
Belt clip and headphone jack Get just one of these two, and you have a funky phone. Get them both, and you increase your efficiency and eliminate the aching neck (from having to balance the phone on your shoulders). The headset is the same as for cell phones, so just one suffices for both, just in case you want to save the extra $25, or did not know that it's so.
Lock the handset for transport I have no clue why Panasonic does not document this anywhere - if you need to transport this phone, and not lose the battery charge by accident (like something pressing on the talk button intermittently and draining it out), press all the buttons along the center of the handset - 2,5,8,0 - together. The handset will beep, and go dead. Nothing you do to the handset will bring it on. To re-activate the handset, simply place it on the base for a few seconds.
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Well, as I mentioned earlier, it's dated technology. Yes, it's the clearest phone you'll get, and with the new technology getting the geeks, the price for this has fallen a lot since I bought it sometime in '99. But remember all that you are losing out:
* No Caller ID
* No answering machine
* No LCD display
* No timer, etc., features that come with LCD displays.
* No jog dial
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If you are not into the fancy smanshies, and want a basic cordless unit, grab this one while it's still on the shelves - the way Panasonic is pushing the gigarange units, I don't think this will survive for long. As for me, I've bought a wire organizer, and am back to the 3-piece unit with the phone, the answering machine, and the caller ID box. This phone makes great conversation - and if you really think about it, that's all you wanted a phone to do in the first place.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kundansen
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Member: Kundan Sen
Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
Analyst, with photography, traveling, music, and computer games as top hobbies.
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