I had my old house phone for nearly 10 years, and it was brilliant When it came to replacing it, I wanted a similar one, and so opted for this model. My only specifications were that it was cordless, with answer machine, and phonebook. After talking to someone in the shop they recommended this one, and as it is made by BT I assumed it would be of good quality so I took it.

To look at the phone is quite bland, being a brown/grey colour it blends in quite well to neutral walls! The buttons are fairly large and white, they are rubbery, and this does cause a little frustration when pressing them as it doesnt always pick up that you have pressed the button. You have the normal 1-0 number keys, the # and * keys, the answer and hang up keys, a loud speaker key, a phonebook key, a call list and redial key and 2 menu keys. The screen lights up when the handset is in use and displayed on the screen is your personal message, the battery life, the answer phone symbol, the signal strength and the 2 menu icons.

In the menus you will find, answer machine, call list, directory, BS settings (Base). HS Settings (handset), registration and reset options. Each of these options help you to personalize your phone, from ring tones to phonebooks, there are 5 different ring tones to choose from, nothing fancy.

To use, this is a very basic phone. The sound quality is ok, but I do find it can dip in and out sometimes. There isnt a caller ID option, which I found quite odd as most phones seem to have this nowadays. The battery life isnt great, I find that if Ive forgotten to put it back on the base after an hour the battery is nearly dead! When you do remember to put the phone back in the base, it makes a 2 toned noise to let you know its charging, this is very handy as sometimes it doesnt sit right. It takes 2 rechargable AAA batterries which are easily replaced via a panel on the back.

The answer machine is not on the base, its contained in the handset. It doesnt have a flashing light or a noise to let you know there is a message waiting, you need to pick the handset up and look at the answer machine symbol on the screen, if its flashing on anf off you have a message. To listen to the message you go into the menu, select answer machine, play message and then choose an option for what you what to do with the message. I find this the worst feature of the phone, I dont always check my handest when I come in, so it could be hours before I realise I have a message, a light on the base or a bleeping noise is a much better design as featured on most other phones.

I bought this phone when it was half price, as a quick and cheap replacement, i really would be annoyed if I had paid full price for it, and I will be buying a different one in the near future.

It is a basic phone, not worth the full price tag!