Corded, simple looking 'home phones' are becoming rarer and rarer as time proceeds. Wireless technology, especially the local type, is exceptionally cheap and reliable after recent technological advancements. You can fit wireless into more complex devices which deliver a wider range of features operating across the wireless network - but anyway, this product doesn't have it. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage? Well price wise its the latter, I got one of these 'Cable and Wireless CWP200' for under £10.00.

It is white (as many home phone designs were in the recent past) and is made from a plastic material of moderate quality. It doesn't feel great under touch but has a decent level of durability which seems as though it will see the phone through to its dieing days. Every element of the design is made from the same plastic, and the keys are perhaps the materials most important sector for usability and feel. They are large and numbered in black to stand out as much as possible from the pale background, and they are bulky and strong-feeling under touch. I think the simplicity in layout of the buttons and the clear labeling of them is the products greatest advantage.

The phone sits on a sturdy base and is corded to the housing via a spiraling rubber wire - I think the idea of the spiral is to stop it from tangling up over time? Anyway, it seems to work and is definitely long enough for users of the phone to stand a fair enough distance from the base. Because of the cords flexibility, you are unlikely to pull the whole contraption off its table which another added benefit.

- A line up of the products abilities -

Tone dialing - each key has its own individual tone - pointless.
Direct memories (3) - the amount of numbers you can program into the device.
Indirect memories (10) - the amount of numbers which the device can remember its self.
Mute button - to shut up people you find boring?
Visual ring indicator - a flashing light...
Last number redial - self-explanatory.
Recall button - giving you the power to quickly call back the last caller.
Ringer volume control - quite a variety of volume settings is a good bonus.
Pause button - used for pausing answer-phone play backs, etc.
Wall mountable - this is a nice addition, adds to the products usability if mounted. All the controls work just as well with the phone vertically placed.

I like the model because its simple. For someone not content to follow the newer products (most of which seem to have more faults than new abilities anyway) then this is the home / work phone for you. There aren't many features though, and the amount of numbers it can store is very poor (probably the most likely thing to put you off).