41 out of 41 people found this review helpful.
Nice phone with lots of features for a good price - Motorola Cordless Phone
Date of Review: Oct 11, 2006
The Bottom Line: I recommend this phone for its sleek and compact design, multiple handsets, tons of useful features and good price.
Some people have bad luck with cars or televisions. We have issues with phones. It seems that every year we have to get a new phone system because the current system we own goes on the blink or just mysteriously stops working altogether. Our AT&T multi-handset cordless phone with answering system started acting strangely a few months ago (review forthcoming soon) and hubby actually threw one of the handsets out in the yard and broke it he was so irriatated with it.
So I began to scour the sale ads on Sundays to find a similar system. We really became spoiled with the multi-handset systems and also need the answering system as we're too cheap to pay the phone company for voicemail. There's just something satisfying about seeing the blinking light on the machine rather than having to dial into voicemail. So I began my quest and finally found what I think is a good deal on the Motorola 5.8 Digital Cordless Phone w/ Answering Machine, MD7161-3. The system includes 3 handsets and answering machine which we got on sale at Target for $88. Normal price was $119. I was surprised to find it there as the sale started on Sunday and I didn't actually get there until Monday afternoon and there were a few left.
Phone Features
This phone system is absolutely loaded with features:
Multiple handsets – this system comes with 3 handsets. One goes with the base unit which must be plugged into the phone jack as well as an electrical outlet. The cool thing about the other 2 handsets is that their bases don't need to be plugged into a phone jack. All you need do is plug them into a regular electrical outlet and they work fine. We have the base unit in our living room, one handset in our bedroom, and the other handset in our home office. The handsets are smaller than other phones we've owned. They're about 5 inches long, 3 inches wide, and about an inch thick. Very compact, yet not too small. Each handset comes with belt clips that fasten to the back. They are optional and easily removable so you don't have to use them. We like to keep them on there so my husband can have a phone on him when he's out in the yard.
Intercom – this system can be used as an intercom! I love this feature because it has completely halted all of the yelling in our household. If I want to talk to my husband while he's outside, upstairs, under the car, in the pool or wherever on our property, all I have to do is push the intercom button and the # of the handset he has with him and he's just a ring away. No more shouting. Yay.
Ringtones – there are 10 different ringtones from which to choose. Some are kind of cool, some are downright annoying, some play a happy little tune, but there are plenty to choose from and a ring for any personality. I found three that I like. Not only can you choose a ringtone for incoming, external calls, you can also select one for intercom calls. In addition to that, each handset can have a different ringtone so there is lots of flexibility in the ringtone department.
Speakerphone – each handset can be used as a speakerphone. Simply push the speaker button on the handset to change to speakerphone mode. Push it again to use as a regular phone. There is also a headset jack which allows the user to attach a headset with a microphone for handsfree talking.
Handset volume control – there's a small button on the side of the phone that allows the user to change the volume in the handset's earpiece. Push up for louder volume, down for softer volume. When minimum and maximum thresholds are reached a double beep sounds. I like this feature because sometimes you get those calls where it sounds like the person is sitting on your head and yelling. I don't know why some calls sound like the person is sitting on Venus and some sound like they're sitting on your lap yelling in your face. I'm just glad I now have the ability to control the volume level to be somewhere between in my face and in another galaxy.
Base unit volume – the volume level of the base unit can also be raised and lowered with the touch of a button. Push up for louder, down for softer. Setting the volume to 1 or lower basically mutes the base unit. Settings of 2 or above allow the user to playback messages, listen to base unit commands, or screen incoming calls. Also great for when you ignore the ringing phone while you have company but you don't want them to hear your incoming messages. Very discreet.
Caller ID/Call Waiting – each handset displays the name and number of callers (have to subscribe to this service with the phone company). When a new call comes in, the word NEW displays in the window. The text displays in grey and the window is backlit in orange. To view the record, just push the CID button to scroll thru the entries. The phone system holds up to 50 caller ID entries. If another call comes in on your call waiting line, that call displays in the window so you can decide which conversation is juicier and blow off the incoming call or continue with the current conversation.
Phonebook – the phonebook holds 50 numbers with names and each entry can store a 32-digit phone number and a 16-character name. All handsets share the same phonebook. You can look entries up in the phonebook and dial them directly from there so there's no need to memorize numbers or look them up in your address book or whatever little piece of paper or napkin you wrote it on to begin with. Caller ID records can easily be transferred to and stored in the phonebook.
Answering system – the answering system has lots of features and is easy to use. Push the power button to turn the system on and the button lights up and glows orange. Push it again to turn the system off. There are three separate mailboxes on the answering system so you can set up a mailbox for different people or needs. When someone calls, just instruct them to push 1, 2, or 3 to be transferred to the other mailboxes. When there are new messages or memos, the mailbox light for box 1, 2, or 3 will glow orange and will flash. Press delete and the mailbox number to delete all messages. You can set up an outgoing message so the caller can leave a message and an announcement message where the caller doesn't have the option to leave a message. You can record your own outgoing or use the system default which says "Hello, I'm unable to answer your call right now. Please leave your name, # and a msessage after the tone." The pre-recorded announte-only message says "Hello, I'm unable to answer your call right now. Please call again. Thank you" and hangs up on the caller. The system's voice is female which is a new concept for me. In the past the systems I've used have utilized the robotlike male voice, however this gal sounds fairly real.
Memo – no need to leave notes stuck on the refridgerator or kitchen table anymore. Simply push the Memo button and record a voice message on the answering machine instead. The message window displays the length of your message, up to 99 seconds. You can talk longer than 99 seconds, but 99 will flash on the display.
Set-up – This phone system and clock is really pretty easy to set up using the Time, Change, and Menu buttons. It comes with a very user-friendly guide that explains how to set up the outgoing message, number of rings before the answering system engages, ringtones, remote acces, the clock, and all the other functions.
Other features – Redial, mute, optional wall mount hardware, remote access so you can check messages and leave memos while you're away from home. Page button on the base unit. Push the button to locate misplaced handsets. Message waiting indicator for voicemail (have to subscribe to voicemail service thru your local phone company). The ability to set the display language. Default is English but Spanish and French can be selected as well. There is also the ability to transfer calls and have a conference call.
So how's it working out for you?
It's working out just great, thanks for asking! Both my husband and I are really happy with this phone system. The system is sleek. The base unit is silver in color as are the handsets. They have a rubberized band around the edge which makes it easy to hang onto and there is a removable clip on the back of each handset for clipping it onto your waistband or whatever. The buttons are slightly rubbery and are raised up a bit from the handset so they're easy to push. We like the sleek, compact design with multiple handsets. We like that the handsets are on the small side and have the rubber edging for a good grip. We both frequently work from our home so the speakerphone feature comes in handy on the many, seemingly endless conference calls we have every day. The sound quality is good when using it both as a regular and speakerphone.
I'm hoping this one holds up better than the phones we've had in the past because I really, really like it and would definitely recommend it.
