I paid some $1100 for a phone with two handsets, and an answering machine (BeoTalk 1200). The answering machine died today (makes the line go off-hook AFTER I put the handset back). B&O retailer says that he will replace the unit but he doesn't have any in stock and doesn't know when new ones will arrive from Denmark. Go figure.

About the phone (BeoCom 6000): If I'm in a conversation and the battery goes low, I hear a series of warning beeps. This is a good thing, but IMMEDIATELY after the beeps, the phone dies. The phone should have at least a couple of minutes talk time remaining so that I can grab another handset or end the conversation. Instead, it cuts me off in the middle of a conversation. This is totally unacceptable.
Besides that, there is some echo at times, even when talking from one handset to another (intercom call).

That was the bad stuff. Now for the goodies. The phone has a central flat dial that is very smooth to operate and use for searching stored phone numbers, Caller IDs or numbers in the Redial list. The LCD display is crisp and easy on the eyes. You can store 200 names with phone numbers. There are lots of features including ringer options. One 'base unit' can handle up to six handsets. There is a tiny red LED on the phone that blinks if somebody is using the line via another handset or if you have a new number in the CallerID list. If the blinking LED annoys you, you can turn that feature off. The battery standby time is about 3 days. Much better than some (Siemens) but poor if you compare it to about 7 days of Panasonic phones' battery standby time.
The only other thing that isn't so hot is that if somebody is using the phone line, you can't pick up another handset and join the conversation. If you try to connect, you get a "line busy" message on the LCD screen. Lastly, if you own B&O audio/video equipment, you can control the volume from the phone handsets!


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