Binatone e800 - the budget handset (Binatone e800 Twin)

Member Name: Craggybuk

Product:	Binatone e800 Twin
Date:	14/10/09 (108 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap

Disadvantages: Lack of enhanced functions

Introduction

At work, we still live in the dark ages where wired telephones are very much the norm. In our office however, we have dedicated support PC's which we constantly need to move to from our own PC's. As it was getting silly with trailing wires all over the office floor, the boss decided to buy us a new hands free phone kit. The kit he went for was the Binatone E800 twin set. I think this was probably the cheapest he could find but nonetheless we were still grateful as it was an unexpected gesture from him.

In the box

The box itself was very small, containing just the 2 handsets, 2 small bases, a power lead and the instruction manual. Being IT guys, we completely ignored the manual and attempted to set the phones up the way we thought.

Setup

Before we could use the handsets, they needed to be charged for 24 hours. We duly plugged them in and left them overnight. Once fully charged, all we needed to do was to pair the phones with the bases. At this point we did have to refer to the instruction manual as this process involved a series of keystrokes which was simple enough to do after consulting the manual. As these phones came with no thrills, there was no extra setup such as configuring answer machines, etc. You can make cosmetic changes such as changing the ringtone but none of them are exciting so I wouldn't bother doing this unless you have some real burning desire to change the default.

Useage

These phones perform quite well really. As the buttons are rubber, sometimes keypresses do not register which gets annoying if you constantly mis-key numbers. The phones each come with 10 number memories, these numbers are not transferable between the handsets so if you require the same 10 numbers in each phone then you will need to enter them twice. We do not use this feature though as most of the numbers that are dialled with these phones are only ever four digit extension numbers so it hardly seems worth the effort although I can see the benefit of it for everyday home use.

The phones support all standard functions such as last number redial and call transfer. The transfer can either be to the other handset or to another number. Being in a work environment, we use the transfer to another number regularly and this works without any real problems. We never use the transfer to the other handset as both handsets are always within a couple of metres of each other so I can't really comment on this function.

In my opinion the biggest downside of this phone is the location of the 'call terminate' button. This is located on the top right hand side of the keypad and it is very easy to accidentally press this button whilst in a call and cut the other person off. This isnt helped by the shape of the handset which means that this is the best place to put your hand.
Coverage of the phones is adequate. We can walk 20 metres down the corridor and still get an acceptable signal from the phone although after this distance, the breakup of the signal is pretty severe, but this is still adequate for most home environments.

Battery life is not too bad with these phones, we can leave them off charge for the weekend and there will still be enough life in them on a Monday morning to make calls although it is good practice to leave them on charge when not in use.

Verdict

As mentioned earlier in the review, these phones are towards the bottom end of the market, if not at the very bottom. Apart from making and receiving calls, they do absoloutely nothing. This lack of functionality was exactly what we needed in the office so the Binatone e800 was perfect for our requirements. If you are looking for a twin set of phones that lack enhanced functionality then I would recommend these to you. If you want a little bit more for your money such as answerphones, caller display, etc then I would say, avoid this product and spend a little bit more cash. As my boss bought these I am not totally sure how much they cost but I believe it was in the £20-30 region.

This review also appears on ciao.co.uk. If you have an account there I'd appreciate a rate and I will always return the favour.

Summary: Perfect if you want a no thrills handset.

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