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(More customer reviews)I bought this phone from a local store less than a week ago (June 28th, '03), charged it, tried it out...and here's the deal: the phone looks cool. Has an orange LCD display that is quite surprising, quite bright & runs the length of the phone--serving as keypad lighting (which the phone actually doesn't claim to have). The buttons are smaller/thinner than the average phone, so one must press them a little harder for it to register. The handset itself is lightweight, fairly small in size, too...but not uncomfortable. The base unit has no purpose except to be the main antenna (the big hump in the picture), to locate the handset, and to show the charge status (which is a red light that always stays on...meaning the phone is in contact with the base).
The features on the phone are rather nice, I'll admit. The range is supposed to be 5.8 GHZ--huge, if this is something that matters greatly to you (it's not too big a deal for me, frankly). Thus far, the reception seems great.
The phone itself is feature-packed. Please note that all features are the same on both handsets. Each handset has all the basics: Call Waiting/Caller ID capability, with the name, date/time, and number showing up on the LCD screen. There's also the option for Caller ID Deluxe, where an unwanted caller can be redirected to voicemail or get a 'not home' message without them realizing you're home. The caller ID/call waiting options are available on the phone but can ONLY be activated as ADDITIONAL services subscribed to from a local phone company.
Other features include: distinctive ring tone (can be set to identify a specific caller) and mx. ring tones (can set a different one per handset) that range from annoying beeping sounds, a softer tone (my fave), or a ping ball machine, Beethoven's 9th, Elise, Merry X-mas, & Home Sweet Home. Has autotalk (answers a call when the handset is picked up without having to press any keys), redial (last 3 #'s dialed), phonebook (100 #'s), speed dial, tone/pulse dialing, volume adjust (from low-to-max, easily audible), speakerphone on handset (excellent, but picks up some interference and room background noise), headset jack (also has good reception, though headset is sold separately), flash button (for call waiting), and transfer capability betw. handsets. It comes with two handsets (NOT expandable beyond this), two bases, one phone jack, two belt clips, and a red light on the top of each handset to indicate voicemail waiting. The redial, ring tones, and caller ID lists are NOT shared between phones--meaning, for instance, that if a call is made from Handset #1, you cannot hit the redial button on Handset #2, because it won't have registered the origianally dialed # from Handset #1 (confusing enough?). Basically, these two handsets operate like two separate phones altogether, except for sharing the initial phone settings (set local area code, call waiting/caller ID set-up, and tone/pulse dial mode). Overall, the phone has lots of great features, mostly very good ones.
My beef with it (and the reason for the 4 stars), however, is the sound I hear on MY end as I'm talking with someone. The caller's voice comes through very clearly, loudly, BUT...I also hear this slight background noise that I can't seem to stop listening for...it sounds like a computer fan, and has nothing to do with my computer being off/one. I've tried to reduce the noise by turning off all appliances, but to no avail. The handbook suggests removing the base from near 'major appliances', including, TV's, VCR's, computers, microwaves, and other cordless phones. That means putting it in a room all by itself or sitting out in an open field?! Not very practical. It also picks up interference from the central A/C, from which is impossible to remove the phone.
I'll keep the phone for another week, or less, just to see if I can adjust to this background noise. I still need to track battery life (comes with NiMH, and yes, it may cause cancer) & the reliability of caller ID coming through--two of the problems which made me return my Panasonic TG2700S model--which was terrible for both those features, btw.
Hope this review helps some. I'm usually fair about writing reviews, and for this kind of money, you ought to know what you're paying for.
Nov. 22nd, 2003--**UPDATE!**
I've actually kept the phone thus far. The slight hissing/fan sound in the background remains the same, but I think I've learned to tune it out. Also, depending on who it is that I'm talking to (and their phone), I have to turn the phone volume up and down accordingly, which is sometimes annoying because I either can hardly hear them OR I go deaf upon "hello". The caller ID #'s almost always come through (both on regular and call-waiting), so I'm thrilled about that. The battery charge is not so bad, and can last a good 2.5-3 hours of constant phone use before beeping that it's running out of battery. The nice thing is that then you hit the "transfer" button and your other phone rings for you to pick up, so you have another fully-charged phone ready to go. And, as I'm told by my callers, no one ever knows that I've just transferred phones, which is very nice. The recharge on the phone happens pretty quickly as well--in about 3-4 hours. The phone seems fairly sturdy, as I've dropped it several times on my carpeted floor by accident, and it still seems intact. I love the fact that I can control the ringer volume, to set it at a fairly low volume for evenings (so I don't get jolted awake with early a.m. calls) and to really loud for times when there's a lot happening around the house and I can't even hear myself think. The range/reception is not too bad on the phone (about a 3.5-4 stars out of 5). I haven't taken it too far from it's base, but I've made it fine to my garbage shoot outside my apartment by about 6 feet, and still get decent reception. One point: if you put the phone on speaker-phone and are sitting near a computer, the phone might start making this whistling/airy noise if the volume is set too high. Lower the volume and then the sound/whistling usually stops. I don't know what's that about, but since you can do something about it, it's not too much of an annoyance. Overall, I'd keep the 4-stars on the phone, based on my own experience. Hope this update helps!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Uniden TRU-5860-2 5.8 GHz DSS Cordless Speakerphone with Dual Handsets
Uniden's TRU5860-2 cordless phone system operates on the 5.8 GHz band and employs digital spread spectrum technology to deliver your calls with far less interference. The convenient handsets offer a variety of features, including caller ID with call waiting capability, and the handset LCD lets you to scroll through up to 100 memory locations in your choice of English, French, or Spanish. You can also transfer calls between the handsets, which themselves can be used as individual portable speakerphones. Additional call features include a headset jack, distinctive ring, last three number redial, and any-key answer.
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