Good DECT answering machine with SMS and Caller ID display (BT Verve 450)

Member Name: ermine

Product:	BT Verve 450
Date:	28/08/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good looks and decent no-fuss user interface.

Disadvantages: Retail price seems to vary a lot - shop around

I got my BT Verve 450 secondhand for £14 from Ebay after lightning trashed my BT Reveal answerphone. The Verve may not have the looks of the Reveal but it is easier to use and looks quite good in an understated way.

The LED message counter is bright and easier to read than many LCD screens, and messages can be played back either via the loudspeaker at base unit or remotely from the DECT handset. This is a nice feature - with many DECT answering machines you have to use the handset to play back the messages. It is also possible to set up a PIN so that you can dial into the Verve 450 from another phone or a mobile and retrieve messages remotely.

That is all very well if there is a button labelled play messages but it is tedious if you have to navigate a menu to get to hear your messages. With the BT Verve 450 it is a single button press on the base, just how it was on my old tape answering machine and just the way it should be. Listening to your messages is what an answering machine is all about and so it should be as easy as possible.

The handset software is a tiny bit on the slow side, not seriously so but there is a fraction of a second lag between selecting a menu function and it happening. Message capacity is 15 minutes, which is easily enough for most domestic users.

The Verve 450 is a GAP standard DECT base so registering other handsets to it is a breeze, and the range is good, with DECT digital clarity. The handset displays Caller ID if you have subscribed to the service, and can also be set up to receive SMS messages, though check the cost of making them using a landline since it is often cheaper to use a mobile for that.

Summary: This is a good no-nonsense DECT answering machine with decent ergonomics and good understated looks.

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