This Motorola is a decent phone for a decent price.
Written: Jul 22 '04 (Updated Jul 23 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Decent value for the price, good handset design, pager, mute button, caller id
Cons: Range is a little limited
The Bottom Line: A good phone for the price, especially when you consider all the features.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Motorola MA351 2.4 GHz 1-Line Cordless Phone |
We needed a new phone for our kitchen. We didn't need one of those fancy, expandable models since there was a phone jack already installed. I found this model at Officemax for $25 with free shipping.
WHAT YOU GET
This set includes the handset and base station. It is not expandable so it needs to be tied to a jack. I remember an extra piece of plastic that looked like a belt clip but we threw it away.
FEATURES
Caller id: This is pretty standard nowadays. You can see who is calling if you subscribe to a caller id service through your telephone company. Also nice is that you can see the caller id if someone comes in on call waiting. Caller id only appears on the handset and not the base station. The only thing I have noticed about this phone is that the caller id might not show up until the second or third ring. This is slightly delayed from other phones I have in the house.
Backlit window: You can see what you are dialing at night.
Battery length: I am pretty good about hanging up the handset at night so it can recharge. I have never run out of charge in the middle of a day. The manufacturer says you get 6 hours of talk time or 6 days of stand-by on a charge but I have never brought this phone to its limits.
Range: This is actually my biggest complaint about the phone. It seems to have a limited range and I can't take it all the way to the end of the house without getting some interference or static. You are best off if you stay within a room of the base station.
2.4 Gz technology: I have had several phones with different bands in my house and really don't notice any major difference. This probably varies by area. I wouldn't pay more for this technology.
Pager: You can page the handset from the base.
Messages: There is no answering machine. However, if you have voicemail through your local phone company, this phone will recognize you have a message. On the base station, a message waiting light will blink. On the handset, the window will indicate that a message is waiting.
Other features: There is also a mute button, flash button to pick up call waiting, redial button, hold button and channel-changing button. This adds up to a lot of features on a relatively-low priced phone.
DESIGN
The handset design is the thing I like best about this phone. The handset is very comfortable to hold up to your face. It is lightweight and fits well in my hand. There is a thin, rubber strip on either side of the handset. Personally, I could do without the rubber and I am not sure where Motorola was going with it. Are there some especially sweaty types out there that lose their grip on handsets easily? In any case, the rubber is easily ignored.
The other thing I like are the large, clearly labeled buttons. Unlike some other phones, I could intuitively figure out how to access all the features without the user's manual.
The base station is quite small and a dark grey. It will fit easily into almost any decor. The handset sits upright in the base station to recharge.
The window is large and clearly displays information including caller id information.
SET UP
Set up was very easy. You must add the battery to the handset and attach the phone cord and power cord. After that, the phone is supposed to charge for 24 hours before first use.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
I only paid about $25 for this phone on sale. I think it is a good basic phone if you don't need an expandable set. The design and operation is pretty good although the range leaves a little to be desired. The phone also has lots of great features. All in all, I would give it 4 stars and consider it a good value for the price.
Recommended:
Yes
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modernmarvel
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