Prefatory note #1: PLEASE READ THIS "LAST-MINUTE UPDATE!" As this review was "going to press," the second specimen of my (formerly) beloved General Electric model 29586GE1 (to which, in my below review, I repeatedly compared this supposedly "second-best" AT&T model 1856) unexpectedly started "hanging up on" incoming calls, which prompted me, rather reluctantly and regretfully, to return that GE unit to Wal-Mart and (at least for the present) to back away from that particular competing model (not that I necessarily think ALL specimens of that "white" model are defective; moreover, I've been having better luck with the virtually identical "black" GE model 29586FE1). Accordingly, my formerly "qualified" respect for (especially) the evidently greater reliability of this competing AT&T model 1856 has significantly increased--not that you couldn't still do much better by spending about twice as much money for a model providing a backlit (easily readable) LCD display; more "speed-dial" numbers; more natural-sounding (relatively distortion-free) greeting/messages; etc. [I'll be posting reviews of several such costlier corded products (that also include at least one supplementary cordless handset) in coming weeks/months!]

Prefatory note #2: As of this writing, you can click the above Epinions.com image (of this AT&T phone) to behold a nice enlargement.

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This review encompasses the following ten major sections (feel free to skip to the correspondingly numbered, boldface headings further below):

1. Preface
2. Why would I choose a corded phone?
3. AT&T's model 1856: three devices in one package
4. Basic telephone (features and performance)
5. Speakerphone (features and performance)
6. Digital answerer (features and performance)
7. Several confusingly labeled buttons
8. The user's manual
9. Miscellaneous points
10. The upshot

1. Preface

Corded speakerphones/answerers--particularly those models not including a secondary/supplementary handset that's cordless--have become increasingly less popular in recent years. In fact, at Best Buy I recently noticed only one such product on the shelf: AT&T's model 1856 ($29.99), which is the subject of this review.

Having previously tested, reviewed and owned a rather closely comparable product--GE's model 29586GE1 ($34.82 at Wal-Mart)--I was primed to discover how this marginally cheaper AT&T compares. [Arguably, the competing GE 29586GE1 can serve as a benchmark for any purely corded speakerphone/answerer at this (low) price level; accordingly, I'll now and again highlight certain of this AT&T model's relative strengths or weaknesses by referencing General Electric's alternative approaches, which, more often than not, are friendlier and more elegant.]

The outcome is that the greatest strength of this affordable AT&T phone appears to be its reliability; otherwise, I tend to give the nod to the competing GE 29586GE1. However, I'd be remiss not to mention that my first specimen of the latter was slightly defective (albeit my second GE 29586GE1 specimen is working perfectly after weeks of continual use); nevertheless, on balance (and as of this writing) I still prefer that GE model to this AT&T model.

That said, for anyone unwilling to spend a penny more than $30, this AT&T should provide satisfactory performance for many years. Moreover, a modest few of its features are arguably superior to their counterparts on the aforementioned GE model; and a small handful of features--most notably the "announce-only" answering mode, which could be frequently useful for a noteworthy minority of consumers--are utterly lacking on the GE, as I'll explain below.


2. Why would I choose a corded phone?

Many readers might ask why on earth I'd want to forgo the portability and convenience of a cordless phone. Well, actually, in 2000 I did indeed buy what had seemed a likable Panasonic cordless model. Little did I consider that, after about two years of occasional use, its battery would expire, making it necessary to spend a surprisingly large chunk of money if I wanted to keep that phone going. That's when I acquired a renewed appreciation for "old-fashioned" corded models like the subject of this review. My ultra-frugal, early-retirement lifestyle is such that I don't necessarily need a cordless home phone; but I do need a phone now and again, and I can readily appreciate any low-cost, multifaceted model promising to last perhaps one or two decades sans ongoing expenditures. This is likewise why I canceled my cell phone service several years ago.

A secondary advantage of a corded phone is that its most basic features can remain functional during power outages. By contrast, cordless phones won't function when electrical power goes out; and a cell phone might not function, depending on whether cell towers are affected by the outage.


3. AT&T's model 1856: three devices in one package

First, this product is, of course, a basic corded telephone (which, unfortunately, lacks the commonplace "on-hook dialing" feature). Second, it's a (more or less) satisfactory speakerphone. Third, it's a capable (albeit not the best sounding) digital answering machine. Let's consider each of those operational modes in turn.


4. Basic telephone (features and performance)

This rather compact phone measures 4-7/10" (H) x 7-3/5" (W) x 7-1/2" (D) and weighs 1 pound, 13 ounces. On the rear of the rather steeply sloping, gently concave base (whose permanently attached "mounting bracket" allows for both tabletop and wall-mounted positioning) are two jacks: a "line" jack for the included white telephone line cord (whose length is 7 feet); and a "6V AC jack" for one end of the included black, smallish AC adapter's cord (whose length is 6.5 feet).

Although Bestbuy.com touts this phone as having an "easy-to-read 3-line LCD," I'm compelled to say they're only half right. Yes, there are three lines; but the display isn't particularly easy-to-read. In fact, much like countless other phones' comparably cramped LCD screens, this (non-backlighted) display is only about half as large as that of the aforementioned competing GE model 29586GE1. Moreover, unlike the latter, this AT&T unit's display is stationary, not movable. You can adjust its contrast, which, at its maximum setting, is quite good; but, given the screen's relatively smallish dimensions (about 1" x 2.5"), that still isn't enough to make the display easily readable. Moreover (like the competing GE product), the display isn't backlit (illuminated); therefore, unless ambient lighting is rather brightly and directly illuminating the LCD screen from an ideal angle, you'll be well advised to locate a small electric lamp nearby. I can't emphasize enough the importance of a backlit display on such a product! Even a relatively smallish display will suffice nicely IF it's backlit.

I found myself missing the competing GE model's functionality as a legible desktop clock and calendar that I could casually glance at now and again. To be fair, however, with this AT&T unit you can press the "clock" button and hear (not see) the day, time and year (but, alas, not the date, which the GE does include), and no such "speaking clock" button is included with the GE. [Note: Don't be misled by the above photo that shows some time-and-date data in the LCD; that's strictly "caller-ID" data pertinent to a particular incoming call; moreover, if you, like me, don't subscribe to any caller-ID service, you won't be seeing so much data displayed on the LCD anyway.]

The main keypad of this AT&T phone features numerical keys that are oval and well-separated, making dialing well nigh foolproof. They're of medium size, such that they should conform to a wide range of users. Their surfaces are gently concave, and, like all other keys or buttons on this phone, they have satisfying tactile responsiveness.

Although this phone's layout of numerical keys and auxiliary buttons is pretty nice, I don't find it altogether as appealing as that of the GE model 29586GE1 phone. That competing product's rectangular numerical keys are larger and even more legibly labeled and elegantly sculpted, while its sundry auxiliary buttons are generally more logically labeled and ergonomically arranged and shaped.

I do, however, appreciate that all keys and buttons on this AT&T are fashioned of hard-plastic, as opposed to the "rubbery" buttons used for some functions on the GE 29586GE1. (Over the past two or three decades I noticed that comparably "soft" keys on various electronic products eventually became unresponsive or erratic insofar as they no longer provided sufficient pressure against the underlying contacts.) I'd wager that all the buttons on this AT&T phone will remain fully functional indefinitely.

Speaking of this phone's buttons, four of them form a column to the left of the primary numerical keypad; three of those buttons are "one-touch-dialing keys" for your most frequently used phone numbers; the fourth button is labeled "PROG MEM" and is used in conjunction with the "1 through 9" keys (on the numerical keypad) for "speed-dialing" still more frequently used phone numbers. Thus there are, effectively, a total of 12 "speed-dial" buttons on this phone. [Note: The comparably priced GE model 29586GE1 can store not 12 but 13 "speed-dial" numbers. This is because, in addition to the "1 through 9" keys (on the numerical keypad), it allows you to use the "0" key.]

Unfortunately, unlike the GE model 29586GE1 (as well as most other competing models nowadays), this AT&T phone doesn't include "on-hook dialing" to give you the option of first dialing your desired phone number (or pressing any previously set "speed-dial" button) and then lifting the handset from the base (or pressing the "speakerphone" button); instead, you can only dial a number after lifting the handset (or pressing the speakerphone button). While that might not seem a deal-breaker to some consumers, I found myself continually missing my familiar GE model's greater versatility and friendliness in that regard.

The "ringer" is one of this phone's most admirable features. There are four available pitches (selectable via the "SETUP TAS" button), with the lowest pitched (default) setting being my favorite. As for volume, there are numerous selectable levels; whenever the phone is not in use, you can press the elongated, rocking "VOLUME" button (whose upper end increases volume, and whose bottom end decreases volume) to adjust the ringer's volume from a rather soft to an extremely loud level. [In fact, for anyone hard-of-hearing who must hear the ringer from a distant room, this phone would be a better choice than the aforementioned competing model by GE. The latter model's ringer tone--pleasing though it is--only comes in one pitch at two slightly differing volume levels, neither of which is sufficiently loud to be reliably noticed by a hard-of-hearing person needing to hear the ringer from a distant room in a moderately noisy environment. Incidentally, the GE phone's ringer is adjusted via a dedicated three-way sliding switch on the side of the base.]

Of course, this AT&T [as well as the competing GE] model also allows you to disable (mute) the ringer.

I found this phone's handset rather well-proportioned and comfortable to use. It's somewhat larger than the GE model 29586GE1 phone's handset; as for which of those handsets is superior, it's a tossup for me; if you favor compactness and light weight, you'll likely prefer the GE handset; but if you favor a more conventional configuration and feel, you'll likely favor this AT&T handset. Its microphone and speaker work fine, just as you'd expect. Four volume levels are available for the handset; you can select them during calls via the "VOLUME" key on the base.

I felt that setting up this phone's various features and options was unnecessarily confusing. Whereas the competing GE model 29586GE1 has a single "menu" button via which virtually any feature or option can be selected and adjusted, this AT&T phone somewhat arbitrarily divides its various setup options among several separate buttons.

For example, to the left of the LCD screen are the respective "SETUP TAS" and "SETUP CID" buttons. Unless you consult the manual, you won't know that the LCD screen's contrast is adjustable only via the "SETUP CID" button.

And to set this AT&T clock's time, day, and year [unlike the clock in the competing GE model 29586GE1, this one doesn't include the date!], you'll need to press the separate "clock" button.

Again, all those functions (and then some) are accessed via a single, simpler "menu" button on the generally friendlier GE model 29586GE1.


5. Speakerphone (features and performance)

Now, this product's speakerphone component worked quite satisfactorily for me and the several callers with whom I tested it; and I do appreciate that the tiny microphone port is located on the upper surface of the base, such that it's easy to speak directly into it. However, the tone of this speakerphone strikes me as slightly hard-edged or metallic. Admittedly, my standards are perhaps unreasonably high, given that I'd previously grown accustomed to the GE model 29586GE1 unit's somewhat more sensitive and dynamic speakerphone, not to mention a rather pricey, high-end, circa-1996 GE model 2-9981B unit that I still more fully enjoy using (in a separate area of my home).

Realistically, though, for an under-thirty-dollar product that also encompasses a reliable digital answerer, this AT&T model 1856 unit can function as a perfectly competent, if not quite state-of-the-art, speakerphone likely to satisfy, and perhaps even delight, virtually all budget-minded consumers wanting to communicate hands-free.

Activating "speakerphone mode" prior to dialing is simple. Just press the conspicuous "speakerphone" button (located at the bottom-right corner of the base); that button then shines with a bright red hue, and you'll simultaneously hear a dial tone via the speaker. You can then dial a phone number (or just press any of the "speed-dial" buttons that you've previously set).

Eight volume levels are available for the speakerphone; you can select them during calls via the "VOLUME" key on the base.

During a conversation, you can instantly switch from using the handset to using the speakerphone mode. Just press the "speakerphone" button and then hang up the receiver. Conversely, you can instantly switch from speakerphone mode to handset mode. Just pick up the handset (speakerphone mode is thereby deactivated).


6. Digital answerer (features and performance)

The AT&T model 1856 digital "answering machine" component (a.k.a. "answerer"), encompassing an impressive set of features, is reasonably easy-to-use. You activate the answerer by pressing the white "ON/OFF" button within the silvery circle encompassing the "DELETE," "REPEAT," "SKIP" and "PLAY/STOP" functions at the upper-right corner of the base (adjacent to the LCD display). When the digital answerer is activated, that central "ON/OFF" button changes from "white" to a very bright, electronically illuminated red. Indeed, the conspicuous brightness of that button--easily noticeable from many feet away--will leave absolutely no doubt that this machine is ready to take messages from callers. Perhaps a minority of consumers will actually dislike that activated button's extremely bright redness; in any case, it's remarkably easy-to-discern at virtually any distance.

The unit's answering system can record up to 99 messages, depending on the length of each message. Individual messages can be up to three minutes long, and maximum recording time (for all messages in memory) is 19 minutes, which is a noteworthily generous capacity for a digital answerer at this bottom-end price (many a competing model costing more than $100 has a maximum recording time of only about 14 minutes--which, however, is still probably plenty of capacity for the average consumer, assuming he fairly regularly deletes all his "old" messages). The saved messages will remain available till you delete them (by pressing "DELETE," i.e., the topmost edge of the silvery circle to the right of the LCD display).

If your primary interest is in simply receiving callers' messages and monitoring them "audibly," the aforementioned LCD display's cramped, non-backlit dimensions (and commensurately limited legibility) might not matter too much to you. Personally, though, I found myself missing the competing GE model 29586GE1 with its twice-as-large-and-legible LCD screen. It's easy to glance at the GE display and see how many messages (and/or calls) were recently received. By contrast, I found myself leaning forward and almost squinting to discern how many new messages I'd received via this AT&T phone with its modest display. There's a tiny "MSG #" symbol at the extreme upper-right corner of the AT&T display; underneath that symbol is a smallish box within which the number of received messages is shown. By contrast, the GE model 29586GE1 displays the full word "MESSAGES" within its commodious display, and the corresponding adjacent numerical digit is relatively large and easy-to-discern sans leaning forward or squinting!

Via the "TAS/SETUP" key" you can set the "number of rings (from 2 to 7) before the system answers."

To record (or re-record) your "greeting" (a.k.a. "outgoing announcement") that callers will hear before leaving messages, press and hold the "ANNC" button(the rightmost edge of the silvery circle to the right of the LCD display). A synthetic male voice will prompt you to begin recording (speaking). Maximum allowable announcement length is a whopping three minutes! Once your announcement is recorded, you can hear it any time you like by pressing "ANNC" again.

A selectable "announce-only" mode allows callers to hear your announcement but not to leave messages. This mode could be useful if you want to notify callers that you'll be away for an extended period and that they can call back after a specific time or date. [Incidentally, the competing GE model 29586GE1 lacks this "announce-only" mode; therefore, a noteworthy minority of consumers might strongly prefer this AT&T model primarily for that feature.]

While recording and playing my announcement, I noticed that this relatively low-cost model's microphone, speaker, and/or the recording sampling rate evidently aren't quite as sensitive, clear, or high as their counterparts in my GE model 29586GE1 (not to mention my still better GE model 2-9981B). My announcement via this AT&T unit sounded a bit "tinnier" or "metallic" than I'd like. Nonetheless, my voice was still (at least marginally) recognizable, and perhaps it sounds at least somewhat clearer to my callers via their handsets than it does to me via this AT&T's own speaker.

Whenever an incoming call (caller's message) is recorded, the prominent "ON/OFF" button (within the silvery circle at the right of the LCD display) flashes with a conspicuous red hue. To hear the most recently recorded ("new") message(s), press "PLAY/STOP" (i.e., the bottom edge of the silvery circle surrounding the "ON/OFF" button). The synthetic male voice says, "You have [number] new messages," and then each message is played in the order received. The synthetic voice briefly identifies (prefaces/labels) each respective message (as "Message One," "Message Two," "Message Three," etc.) and states the day and time when each message was left. Rather than listening to all messages in their entirety, you can press the "skip" (or "repeat") button to jump ahead (or backward) to any particular message.

While listening to any message, you can press "DELETE" (i.e., the topmost edge of the silvery circle surrounding the "ON/OFF" button) to instantly erase that particular message. Alternatively, whenever the unit is idle (i.e., not during a call, and not during message playback), you can press and hold the "delete" button to erase all "old" messages.

While listening to callers' messages, you can always exit (back out of) that mode by pressing the "PLAY/STOP" button.

In the event of a power outage (or if you disconnect the unit to move it to a different location), you'll appreciate this phone's so-called "message guard memory" feature. Unfortunately, the user's manual doesn't specify precisely how long the unit will retain messages after being disconnected from power. Presumably messages will be protected for at least the duration of your average, not extremely prolonged, outages.

If you subscribe to your telephone company's "caller ID" service, you'll certainly appreciate the digital answerer's capabilities. It can store up to 50 CID memories for later review. [Note: The comparably priced GE model 29586GE1 can store 60 CID memories.] Once the caller ID memory is full, a new call automatically replaces the oldest call in memory. A helpful little "NEW CALL" LED (near the lower-left corner of the LCD display) redly glows whenever there are un-reviewed calls in the Caller ID history.

However, I myself was initially most curious to discover how much usable information the LCD screen would actually display for users who (like me) do not subscribe to "caller ID" (or "call waiting") service. I wasn't unduly disappointed. For, although I obviously can't monitor any "caller ID" (or "call waiting") information on the display, I nonetheless am always able to peer at the rightmost portion of the smallish LCD screen to monitor the number of new (or old) recorded messages.

Of course, to know the day and time for a given message, I must press the "PLAY/STOP" ("messages") key to hear the unit's (synthetic) male voice convey that information. After doing so, I can optionally press the "skip" key now and again to "scan" (at least the initial portions of) the messages more rapidly.

After the last message is played, the synthetic male voice announces, "End of messages;" if the system has less than five minutes of recording time remaining, the synthetic voice will then announce the amount of time remaining.

Many users will appreciate this answerer's "remote-access"capability. In other words, wherever on earth you might roam, you can always easily access this phone's answerer by entering a three-digit "security code." [Note that the "remote-access" feature won't be accessible if you're dialing in via a "pulse" ("rotary") phone.] The default security code is "500;" you can change that via the TAS SETUP button.

To remotely access this phone's digital answerer:

1. Call your telephone number.
2. When the system answers, enter your three-digit security code.
3. Enter remote commands (see list directly below).
4. Hang up to end the call and save all undeleted messages.

The available remote-access commands are:

Play all messages: "1"
Play new messages: "2"
Delete current message: "3"
Delete all old messages (in idle mode): "33"
Repeat or go back: "4"
Stop: "5"
Skip to next message: "6"
Begin recording a new announcement: "7"
Stop recording (and hear) the new announcement: "5"
Hear the menu of commands/options: "5"
Turn answering system on/off: "0"
Listen to clock setting: "8"
Listen to answering system settings: "9"
Record a new message: press "#" to start recording; "5" to stop recording.


7. Several confusingly labeled buttons

I wonder if AT&T did much field-testing of this unit with "real-world" consumers. Frankly, several of the buttons bear such confusing or cryptic labels that I scratched my noggin a bit before finally consulting the user's manual to discover their actual respective functions.

For example, the "FLASH" button, given that it's frequently usable for exiting various procedures or operational modes, is somewhat confusingly labeled. It should have been labeled "FLASH/EXIT" (or perhaps simply "EXIT"). Furthermore, its diminutive size and hard-to-find location in the very middle of a row of five equally small and tightly contiguous buttons make "FLASH" a bit hard for large or clumsy fingers to press. [Here's yet another example of how GE's competing model 29586GE1 is better designed: its analogous button is more logically labeled "FLASH/EXIT" and is larger--hence a bit easier to find and press.]

Still other buttons whose labels seem unnecessarily confusing include the following:

The "SETUP TAS"button. What the heck does "TAS" mean? Well, it's evidently an acronym for "telephone answering system." But how many folks would guess that (sans consulting the user's manual)?

The "DISPLAY DIAL" button. Given that (according to the manual) you're supposed to press this button "to dial the number currently displayed," I find its label rather "syntactically ambiguous."

The "REMOVE" button. At first blush "remove" might seem synonymous with "delete," but nay. There's a separate button bearing that designation. According to the manual, you'll use the "remove" button specifically to "delete caller ID currently displaying."


8. The user's manual

The 46-page manual (booklet) is entirely in English and is rather well-illustrated with black-and-white, clearly captioned images. Unfortunately, the organization of the text sections seems, now and again, illogical. For example, after a nice discussion of "Installation" (pages 5 through 7), page 8 proceeds to discuss using the "CID/SETUP" button not only to adjust the LCD screen's contrast level but also to deal with "caller ID" features. The latter information should have been reserved for a later section (pages 15-18) where still more "caller ID" features are discussed. As things stand, it's not till page 9 that the most basic "Telephone settings" are discussed.

Nevertheless, if you're very patient and are willing to skip around a bit throughout the various text sections, you'll glean virtually all you'll need to operate this phone in any of its modes.

Page 1 comprises a fairly useful table of contents; page 45 comprises a woefully incomplete index.


9. Miscellaneous points

Not surprisingly, this unit is made in China.

The limited warranty extends for one year from date of purchase. To obtain warranty service in the U.S., you'll need to phone 1-800-222-3111 (in Canada, 1-866-288-4268). Be sure also to retain your original dated sales receipt, not to mention your "entire original package and contents."


10. The upshot

I do like, and can recommend, this product for budget-conscious consumers wanting a corded speakerphone and digital answerer in one unit. However, as nice as this phone's design is, it could have been even better. For starters, the stationary LCD screen is smaller and harder-to-read than I'd like. Indeed, I found its cramped (1" x 2.5") dimensions doubly disappointing after having grown accustomed to the twice-as-large, pivoting display on the competing model 29586GE1 by General Electric. [Not that this LCD would be hard-to-read if it were backlit; but, alas, it's not.]

And the sound quality of its digital answerer's outgoing announcement and messages--although satisfactory for a bottom-end model--doesn't closely approach that of costlier models.

Also, rather than allocating various "setup" functions to three separate buttons (i.e., "clock," "TAS setup" and "CID set up"), AT&T could've used a single "menu" key, which would've been less confusing. The latter approach was used by General Electric for their model 29586GE1, and I find that product significantly easier to understand (even without consulting the user manual).

On the other hand, whereas I initially encountered one GE model 29586GE1 specimen that was more or less defective (albeit my secondGE 29586GE1 specimen works perfectly), nothing about my very first AT&T specimen was the least bit fritzy.

And a small handful of this phone's features (including the extreme adjustability of its ringer volume and the selectable "announce-only" answering mode), either aren't equaled or aren't included on competing products at this price level (such as the generally superior GE model 29586GE1) and could be important for a minority of consumers.

Bottom line, while I can't quite say that this AT&T model 1856 is the friendliest or most elegant product of its ilk, I can say it delivers reliable performance at a noteworthily reasonable price. If you want a brand-new (as opposed to refurbished*), dependable, corded speakerphone and digital answerer in one unit, and if you don't want to spend a penny over thirty bucks, you need look no further.

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*TIP: If you're a frugal consumer wanting more bang for your buck, you might consider taking a chance on a "refurbished," not-quite-so-recent model (available via various on-line vendors). For example, as of this writing you could nab a fully "like new" Uniden model CXAI5198 for about the same price (including shipping) as you'd have to spend for a brand-new specimen of the above AT&T model 1856. Believe me, that particular Uniden model delivers relatively superior performance and includes much more powerful features, such as an easier-to-read, backlit LCD; virtually "distortion-free" announcements/messages; better speakerphone; "on-hook dialing;" plus an extra (cordless) handset. On the other hand, the Uniden base unit's modestly adjustable, three-level ("high/low/off") ringer volume can't be set at an unusually loud level as the still more adjustable AT&T model can; therefore, if you're very hard of hearing (or need to hear the phone ringing from several rooms away), the AT&T 1856 might better satisfy you.

Recommended: Yes