Look to see who's talking (BT Graphite 1100)

Member Name: Fiver29

Product:	BT Graphite 1100
Date:	12/02/09 (287 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, but not cheap looking

Disadvantages: .

My old telephone had been fraught with problems for a while, so when it started flashing 'warning' at me, like it was set to blow up any minute, I decided a new phone was in order.

I rarely use the phone because I spend my entire time on the phone stressing about how much it's costing. So I only wanted a cheapy, and the Graphite 1100 fit the bill.

~The Phone~

I purchased the single handset 1100, but I do believe you can get kits with 2,3 or 4 handsets.

The base needs to be close to both a power point and the telephone socket. According to the instructions, it also needs to be at least a metre away from an other electrical appliances.

(Additional handsets only need to be plugged into the power, not telephone sockets.)

The handset is cordless, and has a range of up to 300m outside and 50m inside, depending on the conditions and the thickness of walls etc.

The phone comes with 2 x AAA rechargeable batteries, and the instructions state that these must be charged for at least 24 hours before using the phone.

*Features

Caller Display - Very handy if you're ignoring someone lol.
PhoneBook - The phonebook can hold up to 50 entries.
Call Lists - Stores the numbers of the last 40 people you've called.
Speaker Phone - Embarrassing if you haven't realised the phone has this feature.

~My Thoughts~

A phone is a phone really, you dial your number and talk to the person on the other end.

However, I have noticed that this phone is much clearer than the previous one, so maybe BT were right when they said there was no noise on the line (oops).

Even though its a cheap phone, it doesn't look cheap and tacky, and is reasonably weighty, so it feels quite robust.

I mentioned earlier about the speaker phone, the default settings mean that when the phone rings it is answered immediately. On our old phone we had to press the call button to answer. Pressing the call button on this phone turns the speaker phone on and off. However, not being a manual reader I hadn't realised that, so the first time the phone rang I picked it up, pressed the button and ended up trying to have a conversation with the school, with the kids rolling on the floor laughing in the background. Luckily there's an option in the menu system to change the way the phone answers when you pick it up.

The handset is also slightly curved. Whilst this make is look a bit different, because I'm the sort of person who holds the phone in the crook of their neck when talking, because I'm generally doing something else at the same time. The curve makes the phone slip much easier. (Disclaimer: I do not recommend holding any phones in the crook of your neck, it may cause health problems).

So all in all, for the price I paid (about £17 in Asda), I am happy with the phone. It does the two things I need from a phone, firstly I can hear the person on the other end clearly. Second, I can see who's calling and run away from the phone if need be lol.

Unfortunately it doesn't lower bills, which would be my ideal third from a phone!

Summary: Recommended

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