Look Mom! I can talk with NO hands!

Update: was really great phone, UNTIL the head set died. AVOID this phone!

BACKGROUND:
----------
We have used hands free phones for the about the last 4 years (Radio Shack Model: ET-3906). We loved them -it was great to just put on the headset and clip the dial-pad to your belt. It would allow you to do other things while you are talking on the phone --BUT the only problem was we have always had to replace the phone due to the headset cord wearing out. It was getting to be like clock work, --once per year the phone would just stop working. My wife was getting so frustrated having to send back the phone (under warranty) to be replaced... At least Radio Shack was pretty good about not even charging us shipping (just drop it off at the store). BUT Radio Shack would only accept it for repairs while it was under the warranty period -so eventually I would have to buy another phone, and at $39 a pop it was getting old. But again we really loved having a hands free phone -and couldn't find another handsfree phone that would last any longer...

PERFORMANCE
-----------
So, with that said, enter the RCA ViSYS hands free, and cordless headset and phone (model RCA 25110RE3) . At first I was a little doubtful. I am fairly techno savy, and doubted that the headset, due to it's size, would be able to have a decent battery life and sound quality. The headset was so small and light -surely the small battery would not hold a charge for long, and surely the electronics were not sufficient to provide clear, stable and secure voice communications!

Well, after having used this phone for a couple weeks now, I am a believer. For starters, the battery used in the headset is actually a newer type battery knowns at Lithium Ion Polymer -it is a fairly new invention that has a number of benefits. The older Lithium Ion batteries typically used in phones like this are much bigger, heavier and bulkier -but by using a Lithium Ion Polymer battery they have been able to increase battery performance while significantly reducing the size and weight! The battery actually looks like a thin wafer -very flat and light. Meanwhile there is a regualr battery in the handset.

They battery life is loooong. We haven't tried to find the max life of the battery before re-charge, but my wife can talk for an hour or more straight without a disconnect.

The headset is almost feather light (thanks to the Li-Ion Polymer battery) -almost too light, but sits good on your head and is adjustable. It just has a slight cheap feel to it -the boom mic moves a little too easy up/down/sideways. And to turn the phone on you pick up the headset, place it on your head, and have to press a very small (too small) button to turn it on -you get used to it, but they should make the button bigger.

The sound quality is incredible! I was really expecting background noise and periodic interferance, but instead the sound is crystal clear. This is pretty amazing considering that we have other wireless electronics in our house (phones, keyboards, mice, routers, etc). I think this has to do with the use of Digital Spread Spectrum technology. The phone uses digital signals instead of the old analog signals, and jumps around on the radio spectrum to distrubute the signal. This helps not only improve sound quality, but helps keep you communications PRIVATE. Normally anyone with a scanner radio could listen in on your conversation, but because the signal is hopping from frequency to frequency it makes it more difficult to intercept your voice signal.

DOWNSIDES:
----------
On the downside: It is expensive. I paid $150 at Office Depot (on sale). And I see that Amazon.com has them for about the same price. But I reasoned that I was spending $39 bucks a year on the corded headset phone, so having the RCA phone without a cord should eliminate the problem and save me money in the long run. And the RCA phone is just plain MORE convienent that any phone I have ever used, and more importantly, my wife loves it -she finds it easy to use (which says alot). To us the price is worth the conviennce. And it has a two year warranty which is double the normal warranty.