Uniden's best phone in a long while... but still some minor problems.
Written: Jul 18 '02 (Updated Oct 19 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very comfortable handset design; great range; excellent sound quality.
Cons: Antenna is destined to break; totally useless beltclip!
The Bottom Line: Despite a poorly-designed antenna and beltclip, this phone's clarity, range and features make it an excellent overall product.
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| heresmy2cents's Full Review: Uniden TRU 446 2.4 GHz 1-Line Cordless Phone |
It's no secret. I like Uniden's Digital Spread Spectrum (DSS) phones. The range and clarity of these phones has always impressed me. (Their non-DSS phones, however, are nothing to write home about.)
So when Uniden announced their new TRU446 2.4Ghz DSS model, I was among the first people to get my hands on one and take it for a test drive. There is a lot to like about this new phone. Sadly, there are also some things that are really disappointing.
Installation
The box contains one base unit/charger, one handset (the TRU446-2 model comes with two handsets), an AC adapter for the charger, a rechargeable battery, a standard RJ-11 phone cord, a belt clip, and a well-designed user manual. Installing the phone is very straightforward. First, plug the base unit into an outlet. Next, slide the rear cover off the handset and insert the battery. (*See my note below about my frustration with this particular battery design.) Finally, drop the handset into the charger slot and let the battery charge overnight.
*Battery
For some strange reason, Uniden has chosen to revert to an old-style battery on this new phone. (Several other manufacturers are doing the same.) Instead of the battery being a completely self-contained unit with metal contact strips on the bottom, this battery is wrapped in plastic and has a 2-inch wire protruding from it with a small plug on the end of the wire. There is just enough room for the battery itself to fit into the space provided in the handset, so the wire must be "mashed down" into this tiny compartment before the cover can be slid back onto the handset. I was concerned that I was going to damage the wire by having to force the cover so tightly over it.
Imagine how frustrating it would be if all the batteries we use (D, C, AA, AAA, 9V) had a 2-inch wire hanging off the end that had to be plugged into the device it was powering! This is just too clumsy. Come on, Uniden. Give us a battery that can be quickly dropped into place without a second thought.
In all fairness, however, installing the battery is something you do once, and you'll probably never need to mess with it again. But still, a simpler design is needed. (Even Uniden's older style phones used a nice, drop-in battery. Why they have decided to go back to such a primitive design is really a mystery.)
Impressive Design
This is one great looking phone. Both the handset and the base unit are finished in a sleek, gray color which shimmers slightly in the light and is really attractive. The handset drops into a slot on the base unit at a 45-degree angle where it stands upright, making the LCD screen easy to read during incoming calls.
The base unit on this TRU446 (and TRU446-2) has only one button -- a "find handset" button. There is no keypad, speakerphone, or LCD. So if you need to use the base unit to make or receive calls, this phone will not work for you. Again, I do not consider this an issue, since standing in one location (at the base unit) making calls really defeats the purpose of having a cordless phone to begin with.
Best Handset Ever?... Almost!
This handset is really a pleasure to hold. Really. The shape of the handset itself may just be the most comfortable I have ever used. When turned to the side, it has somewhat of an "S" shape which allows it to fit perfectly into your hand. The designers of this handset certainly did their homework! (Although, I think an entirely different team designed the antenna! More on that later.)
Nicely Designed Keypad Except for One Little Key
All the keys (except one) are just the right size and are spaced very comfortably apart. Each key gives very positive feedback when pressed, and also emits a soft beep, so there is no mistaking whether or not the phone has accepted your input. (The only reason this is worth mentioning is because so many cordless phones fall flat on this issue, like the Siemens Gigaset 4200 series, for example.)
Unfortunately, Uniden must have hired an artist to design the "End" key on this handset. This is the only key which fails to be truly functional. It is a tiny, round button which has been "sculpted" or cut out of the lower portion of the Talk button. In other words, the large, round Talk button has a portion of its lower, right side cut out, and the End button sits in this cut out space. And while this may look cute, it is not very functional.
Uniden made the End button on this phone so small because on some of their earlier models, the Talk button, (which doubled as the End button), could be accidentally pressed while supporting the phone between your ear and your shoulder. They received a lot of complaints about this. But in trying to correct this problem, they have over-compensated and now the button is so small that it is actually rather difficult to locate and press. Increasing the size of this button by about 1/8" in diameter would help dramatically. Perhaps Uniden will see the need for this next time around.
"Plus" and "Minus" Keys?
Tabbing up and down through the on-screen menus is done, not with "Up" and "Down" keys as one might expect, but rather with two keys marked oddly enough, " " and "-". I kept thinking there was going to be some logical reason for these keys being labeled this way, but as it turns out, there isn't. The only function these keys serve is to tab up and down on menus. The " " and "-" make absolutely no sense at all, and would have been far better labeled with up and down arrows. Please, all you phone manufacturers, don't try to get too cute for your own good. Make as many design changes as you like, but for heaven's sake, keep it functional.
Programming & Setup
Once the handset is fully charged, you can begin setting up the phone's features. All programming on this phone is done via a series of on-screen menus on the handset, not the base... a trend that is becoming increasingly popular with cordless phone manufacturers. The nice thing about this is that you can program the phone from anywhere, without being tied down to wherever the base unit happens to be. This is a very useful feature, so it's no wonder more manufacturers are taking this approach.
Main Features
This phone has a considerable amount of features, and programming them is very easy (unlike programming certain other phones, like Panasonic's KX-TG26xx series, for example!) Many of the features of this phone are pretty standard, so I will highlight the more important ones below.
3-Line LCD Display
The LCD on this phone is nicely backlit and very easy to read in any light. It displays a wealth of information, including the caller's name and number, the date and time of the call, the number of incoming calls received, the length of the call, the currently selected mode, the phonebook lookup screen, and, obviously, all the menus. The screen automatically lights up when a call comes in, making it very easy to see who is calling, even in the dark.
Caller ID Area Code
You begin programming this phone by entering your local area code. If you have Caller ID, calls from within your local area code will be suppressed on the display on incoming calls. All calls outside your area code will show the entire 10-digit phone number, including area code. This way, if you want to quickly return a call to someone on the Caller ID list of people who have called you, simply press Send and the number will be dialed. Calls within your local area code will call just the 7-digit number, and calls outside your local area code will dial the entire number.
Caller ID
This phone tracks Caller ID information on both standard incoming calls, (when the phone is idle), and also on Call Waiting calls, (when you are already on the phone). Of course, you must subscribe to these features through your local phone company.
Caller ID information is saved from the last 100 calls. Well, sort of. Actually, the Phonebook and the Caller ID share 100 memory spaces. So, if you have 30 people programmed into the built-in Phonebook, the phone will retain Caller ID information on the last 70 calls. In most cases, this will be more than enough. I mean, how many times do you sit down and scroll through more than the last 20 or 30 calls? Probably not too often. And how often do you have more than 40 or 50 Phonebook entries? Again, probably not that often. So this memory space can be adequately shared without any problem.
Volume and Tones
The ringer volume can be easily set via the menu, and Uniden has added one additional feature which is just great. When the phone rings, you can instantly silence the ringer by pressing one key on the keypad. The call will continue to come in as normal, but the ringer will be silenced for that call only. On the next incoming call, the ringer will return to the preset volume. This is a really useful feature. If you are busy in a meeting, you can quickly silence an incoming call without having to go into the menus to turn the ringer off.
As with most phones these days, you have a number of different ringer sounds and melodies to choose from. But in addition to this, you can also program certain ring tones for specific callers. For example, if you want to be alerted by a special ring whenever your business partner is calling, you can easily do that. This way, you know who is calling even when the handset is across the room... which it usually is. Very nice.
During a call, the earpiece volume can be adjusted up or down by pressing the infamous " " and "-" keys. While this functions fairly well, I still think all cordless phones should have volume controls placed on the side of the phone so they can easily be adjusted with your thumb during a call. (Hint hint, Uniden.)
Voice Mail LED
There is a light built into the top of the handset which flashes red whenever you have voicemail waiting. (Note: this feature works in conjunction with the voicemail feature provided by your local telephone company. It detects the "stutter tone" on the line when there are unplayed messages waiting.)
This light is very nicely positioned on the handset. It is flush with the surface of the handset, and is therefore completely out of the way. The red blinking light is very bright and can easily be seen from a long distance. In testing this feature, it worked flawlessly every time, unlike several other cordless phones that I have tested.
Phonebook
You can quite easily set up your most frequently used phone numbers into the built-in Phonebook. You can store both names and phone numbers. When dialing from the Phonebook, simply press the Phonebook button, then press the first letter of the person's name you want to call. The phone will immediately "position" to that spot in the Phonebook, and, if necessary, you can scroll up or down until you see the person you're looking for. Press the Send button from there to instantly dial that number.
I use this alphabetical search feature on all my phones, and will probably never buy another phone without it. Once you get the hang of it, you can find anyone on your Phonebook in an instant.
RocketDial
This Uniden model has a feature called, RocketDial. (Well, they had to call it something.) You can program one phone number behind this RocketDial button. I'm not really sure who would use this. There doesn't seem to be any single phone number that I dial so much more often than all the others that I just couldn't dial it from the built-in Phonebook. I suppose this might be useful for an elderly person to have an emergency number programmed into RocketDial. Other than that, it doesn't seem to be all that useful.
Quick Summary of Features
2.4Ghz Digital Spread Spectrum technology
Caller ID and Call Waiting Caller ID
3-line backlit LCD on the handset
Backlit keypad on the handset
English, Spanish and French menus
Phonebook can store up to 100 names and numbers
RocketDial (One Touch dialing)
10 Distinctive ring options (6 ringers and 4 melodies)
Distinctive rings for certain callers
Voicemail waiting indicator light
6 hour talk time
10 day standby time
Ringer volume
Earpiece volume
Ringer silence
Mute button
Outstanding Range
It never ceases to amaze me how poorly some cordless phones perform in the range test, even many of the newer phones. As mentioned earlier, Uniden's "standard" phones don't exactly pass this test with flying colors either. But their line of Digital Spread Sprectrum (DSS) phones have always blown away the competition on range. The TRU446 does, too. It's range is very impressive, even in my neighborhood which has lots of hills and tall trees. I can walk several hundred feet away from my house without losing the signal.
Brilliant Voice Clarity
One consistent feature with every Uniden Digital Spread Spectrum phone I have ever tested, (both their 900Mhz DSS and 2.4Ghz DSS phones), is the excellent voice quality and absence of static. This phone is no exception.
The voice reproduction on this phone is absolutely fantastic. It rivals my best corded telephone, and that's saying a lot! There is also no static, popping, or hissing on this phone. It is really a pleasure to talk on. If true voice reproduction and clarity are of great importance to you, as they are to me, then you will be very pleased with this phone. It shines in this area.
Some Things I Don't Like About This Phone
With every nice product, there are usually one or two things that are poorly designed or just don't function well. And, unfortunately, this phone has its problems. It doesn't have many drawbacks, but I consider the following issues to be major design flaws!
Bye-Bye Antenna
When it comes to designing antennas, I don't understand what has gotten into the cordless phone manufacturers lately. It's like they've all taken a goofy pill, or something. Or maybe they all attended the same "antenna design" seminar and were all brainwashed into believing the same foolishness. Whatever it is, I hope they come to their senses real soon.
The antenna on this otherwise brilliantly designed handset is so horrible I can hardly find the words to describe it. But let me try. It is made of extremely rigid plastic and protrudes about 1.25 inches above the top of the handset. The antenna itself is totally inflexible. Why? Who knows! When putting pressure on the antenna from any direction, the entire antenna wobbles very slightly back and forth from the base which is mounted down inside the phone. You can actually hear a faint "grinding" sound where the antenna mount is moving around. And since the antenna itself is not flexible at all, this means that one solid hit directly on this antenna, and it will almost certainly break off. Antennas that do not flex are trouble waiting to happen. You can mark it down!
In addition, if you ever wear this phone on your belt using the beltclip provided, don't ever make the mistake of bending over! I did! When I bent over while wearing this phone on my belt, the antenna -- which is flat on the front side and round on the back, leaving two rather sharp edges at the top -- stabbed me in my side and actually drew blood! Gee, that's an interesting effect I didn't count on.
The fact is, whether you ever use the beltclip or not, this antenna is a design disaster, and it is destined to break. I just don't get it. Uniden has been in this business long enough to know better. I am really disappointed. (For what it's worth, Panasonic's newer cordless phones are also using hard plastic antennas instead of flexible ones. Maybe their repair departments aren't showing a big enough profit. These new antennas will certainly keep repair shops busy!)
Totally Useless Beltclip
For those who frequently carry their cordless phone around with them, having a reliable beltclip that you know for sure will keep the phone securely in place without slipping off is vitally important.
Uniden's TRU446 model fails miserably on this point. The beltclip that comes with this phone is, without a doubt, the most poorly-designed one I have ever seen on any cordless phone. It is completely useless, and should come with a sticker that reads, "Warning, do not use this beltclip unless you stand absolutely still. The slightest movement will cause the phone to fall to the floor!"
The beltclip on this phone slips very easily onto your belt or pants. Too easily, in fact. There is no "spring" action at all on the clip. Instead, the clip is designed to permanently stay about 1/8" away from the back of the phone, which means that the lower part of the clip never actually grabs hold of anything. It just slides over your belt... and slides right off again.
There is also no "hook" at the base of the clip to prevent the clip from slipping upward and off your belt. The phone is free to slide on or off without the slightest assistance. This is an enormous oversight on Uniden's part. I am really stunned that such a poorly thought-out beltclip made it past the initial design phase, not to mention actually making it all the way to final production!
One thing is for sure. If you rely on a beltclip at all, you will be terribly disappointed with this one. It simply does not work! It is just a matter of time before this phone slips off your belt and smashes onto the floor. Come on, Uniden. This is a gross oversight!
Again, in all fairness, I realize that most people never use the beltclip on their cordless phone. For those people, the only major drawback about this phone will be the fragile antenna.
Final Summary
If you're a "bottom line" kind of person, the kind of person who just wants to know the pros and cons without digging through all the boring details, here is a quick summary for you:
Pros
Excellent overall design
Most comfortable handset ever tested
Superb voice clarity
No static, hissing, or popping
Very impressive range
Backlit LCD and keypad
Voice mail waiting indicator
Caller ID with Call Waiting Caller ID
Distinctive rings for special callers
Phonebook with alphabetical lookup/dial
Cons
Awful antenna design... will almost certainly break in time
Beltclip falls off as easily as it slides on
Small, somewhat difficult "End" key
No speakerphone on handset
Conclusion
I gave this phone 4 out of 5 stars, despite the few complaints I have with it. Its positive features far outweigh its shortcomings, and it really is a great phone. But let me say it one more time... If you must have a phone with a beltclip, do yourself a favor and don't buy this phone. It will fall off your belt, and it will probably break. But if you never use a beltclip with your cordless phone, I think you will be very happy with the TRU446. Its brilliant sound clarity, superb range, and extensive features make it an excellent overall product.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
heresmy2cents
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Location: USA
Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 8 members
About Me:
I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
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