Pros: Fantastic features and usability, great form factor, expandable - brilliant!
Cons: Battery life is mediocre, ~ 2 talk-hours.
The Bottom Line: An excellent phone with amazing abilities and features, and very easy to use and program. Unique ability for multi-handset intelligent management.
jimseld's Full Review: Panasonic KX-TG2730 2.4 GHz 1-Line Cordless Phone
In a word, this phone is awesome. I've been searching for 4 years and had previously tried & rejected a Sony SPP-A972 (poor operation, dropped calls). The new 27xx series has answered all my needs and done it with quality and performance; I'm a very demanding and detail-oriented consumer and this phone *finally* meets my requirements.
I'm virtually always left wanting more information after visiting a manufacturer's web site, or reading a magazine review. There's a good bit of fluff and the like, but no detailed list of features and feature *behavior*. Example: phone has a built-in name/number directory. OK, but does it sort alphabetically? Can I quickly jump to a particular letter or must I start at "A" every time? You get the point.
So to address this for readers of my review, I'll give you summary feature behavior info.
The screen is a bitmap display with various fonts and icons, not just alphanumeric; it's also backlit along with the keypad, in a soft green light. The display is a huge step forward in usability and capability, and a decided advantage over other phones. The characters are sometimes a bit small so if you have difficulty focusing on tiny print, this may affect you.
Sound quality on the phone & answering machine is excellent; I have heard no digital artifacts. Other digital answering machines I've used have odd voices emanating; I can't even recognize friends sometimes. This unit is very adequate.
The remote handset enables all base unit feature programming, sort of like a TV remote now has the TV's functions on it, instead of a big panel on the TV itself.
The base can page all handsets or a selected one and talk to one at a time directly; it can also remotely listen to the room that any handset is in. Likewise, handsets can listen to other handsets or the base. This feature is turned off as shipped by the factory, since it's a privacy/security concern, but you can enable it easily. Each phone has an individual setting for this, and it cannot be controlled by other phones with the exception that the base's setting can be controlled by any handset.
The 50 name/number directory can be transmitted in whole or part to any other handset (each handset has it's own directory storage). It transmits about 2-3 names per second, and the other handset lights up "Directory Receiving" while this is occuring. The name/number is *added* to the other phone's directory; it does not delete other name/numbers already within the phone unless the name matches one you're sending. This allows (for instance) kids to have their friends entered on just their phone, while mom & dad send a master list to all phones in the house. Editing the name/number list or deleting entries is very easy, using the menu-based system. One very important feature (for me anyway) is the ability to instantly move to a particular letter in the sorted name list; this becomes more important as you add entries. For example when you open the name/number directory, you can sequence through the list starting at the beginning or the end, but what if the name you want is in the middle? Do you have to press a button 25 times to get to it? If the name you want starts with "M", just press "M" (the 6 digit) and you'll go to the first "M" name. Press again to find the first "N", and again for the first "O" (they're all on the 6 key).
The caller ID list has automatic editing to remove local area codes. You'll probably need this, as incoming numbers always have full area-code information, yet you should not use it when returning the call. The phone can dynamically edit these calls for up to 4 area codes, and can remove either the 1 area code, or just the 1, or call the number back as-is from the caller ID list. You can add caller ID list entries directly into your name/number directory too, which is a nice feature.
Handset speakerphone is a brilliant idea and seems to work very well. The volume is independently adjustable for ring (can be turned off), earpiece, and speakerphone. As you adjust the volume with the main 4-way silver button, the graphical display shows the current setting, in steps.
The last # redial feature has a list of all recently called #'s, not just the most recent one. I'm not sure how deep this list goes - haven't owned the phone long enough!
Handsets (and the base) can lock-out others for private conversations. This prevents someone from quietly or accidentally getting on the line during your call. All extra handsets also display when someone else is already on the line, so there's no excuse anymore for not knowing the line was in use!
The answering machine can be remotely operated from extra handsets even during a call by someone in the house. In fact, all handset-to-base, and handset-to-handset operations operate at any time; there is no lock-out mode or single use limitation that prevents this. I think this really shows the level of architecture engineering that went into this phone system.
The answering machine has 3 mailboxes with #2 & #3 able to use passcode protection. Both the handset and base alert you visually when any mailbox has a new message. All mailboxes can be remotely accessed and managed, and you can switch between them at any instant - no need to wait for messages to finish, or wait for the machine to get to the correct mode or state. Total record time for all messages and outgoing message is about 15 minutes. The incoming message can be limited to 1, 2, or 3 minutes - handy to limit your overly-expressive sister-in-law!
Answering machine call pickup can be programmed from 2-8 rings, or toll-saver mode (2 if messages, 4 if none). Factory default is 4, which is pretty standard.
There are some other neat features that really make the Panasonic 27xx series stand out from the crowd.
Handset icons tell which phones are connected to a call. A tiny radio icon with digits 0-8 appear to show who's on the call with you. This only appears when there is more than 1 person in your house on the line. No more secret eavesdropping with this system.
Calls can be transferred to specific handsets or back to the answering machine even after being answered. This is great if a caller wants someone who isn't home - you can transfer them to a mailbox and let them leave their message, instead of you having to find a pen & paper and write it all down. You can also add other phones into a conversation (conference) by pressing a button and selecting which handset you want to add, up to a total of 4 at a time.
This unit, like all Panasonic's I've seen, has a battery strength indicator that is very useful and informative and now has menu system support. You get the usual 4-state battery icon (showing charge level), then as the battery gets very low the display says either "Charge" or "Charge for 15 hours". I'm amazed that some phone manufacturers don't bother with a battery indicator - this is a primary factor in whether you'll be able to finish a call, and in managing your phone's usability and the battery's life.
The silver handset that comes with the base is larger and heavier than violet (and white) add-on handsets; it comes with 850mAH NiCd battery vs. 600mAH NiMH on violet & white units. Yes, they only offer NiMH on the optional handsets, and the batteries are different physical sizes so you can't just swap them. The battery life is only mediocre; I'm getting about 2 talk-hours from the 850mAH handset, and the charge indicator goes from full to recharge in a couple minutes. Something's not right with the battery or charge management system. The charging bases are *not* interchangeable between silver handset and optional ones, due to the different batteries. Recharge rate is slow: 15 hours for a full charge; this increases overall battery life in exchange for making the phone unusable for half a day. I really, really wish this phone came with a better battery and a fast, smart charger. I'd pay $10-$20 more for this.
The phone comes with belt clip, battery, cord, AC adaptor, wall mount adaptor, and a good manual in English and Spanish. Handsets accommodate a headset (not included). The handsets are reasonably light-weight and have a nice form factor, pretty good looking too. Base is OK looking but I've seen better; it can be wall-mounted, but it's pretty funky - it's really meant to sit atop a counter or desk.
Overall, I have to say that the technology seems to be very smart in overall operation such as handset management, intercommunication management and protocol. This phone has raised the state of the art to apparently microprocessor-controlled levels instead of just plain electronics, and the attendant feature improvement and general usability reflects that.
In summary, this phone isn't just a phone - it's a two-way digital communications device with management and directory protocols as well, yet it's easy to use and very powerful. An amazing phone at a decent price! I highly recommend this phone.
2.4 GHz frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology Caller ID/call waiting For use with Panasonic KX-TG2700S, KX-TG2720S, KX-TG2730S, or KX-TG2740S B...More at Amazon Marketplace
2.4 GHz signal, frequency-hopping digital spread spectrum technology Expandable to 8 handsets, 1 included Built-in digital answering system Caller ID ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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