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Motorola MD671 5.8 GHz Expandable Cordless Speakerphone with Caller ID

Motorola MD671 5.8 GHz Expandable Cordless Speakerphone with Caller ID

List Price: $179.99
Your Price: $108.94
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Sturdy, Reasonably Priced Expandable 5.8GHz System
Review: Let me start by saying that I've been more disappointed and cranky from purchases of crummy telephones than from any other consumer item. I admit that I'm old school -- the house I grew up in had the same telephone on the wall for 20 years, and it worked just as well at the end of 20 years as it did in the beginning. So I kind of resent paying tens (or even hundreds) of dollars for replacement phones every couple of years or less.

With that as background, I'm pretty happy with this phone. I have the MD671, as well as two expansion headsets (MD61).

Here are the features that I like:

1. It has good sound quality, even at extremely high or low volume.
2. It has good reception. I'm in a condo building and other cordless phones -- even the 5.8GHz ones -- pick up the strangest interference.
3. I don't have to apologize the people I'm talking with for using the speakerphone, either on the base unit or on the handsets. Sound quality is generally good, although the microphone does pick up ambient noise, like my cat screaming at me, while in speakerphone mode.
4. It's sturdy. It has a really solid feel to it. The rubberized grip even prevents losing your grip on the handset.
5. The display is very readable.
6. The menus are simple and intuitive.

About the only thing I don't like is that it's not terribly comfortable against your ear if you're on a long conversation. I occasionally use a wired headset with it (or switch to the speakerphone) if I know I'm going to be on a long conversation, so that I can live with it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: 5.8 GHz or 2.4 GHz (buyer beware)
Review: There are probably many reasons why one would purchase a 5.8 GHz phone; promised better clarity, newest features, but many people may be like me who are searching for a cordless phone that does not interfere with their wireless LAN which operates at 2.4 GHz. I previously had a 900 MHz phone which worked fine until the keys failed and I was looking for a replacement. I selected the Motorola phone as it was advertised as a pure 5.8 GHz phone. Some other phones sold by AT&T and Uniden identified that they use other frequencies like 2.4 GHz in addition to 5.8 GHz and so I eliminated these from consideration.

Overall the performance has been good. The signal is very good most of the time, but I have had instances where ghosting appears. The phone is easy to use and well designed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: We love this phone system!
Review: This is a great phone system. I bought it based on some of the reveiws here on Amazon, so I thought I should add one of my own since they were so helpful in making my decision. One person I noticed in their reveiw stated that you can't call from the caller ID, nor can you dial a 1 before the number in the caller ID. This is completely false! You have to press "opt" for options, not "phone" to dial and you can add it to your phone book, dial it with 1 or with area code, or whatever. It's true not a whole lot is in the instruction manual, you have to play around with it to see what it does. However, it is VERY simple and easy to figure out -- therefore it is perfect for people like myself who never read the instructions anyway. I am not a fan of call waiting, so I prefer voice mail and so callers will automatically be rolled to voice mail while I'm on the other line. This phone has a nice feature when programming the voice mail number into your phone book you can put "p"s in for pauses (more ps mean a longer pause) and program in your voice mail pin number after the number and any menu numbers (like "1" for check new messages). This makes it so easy to check your messages with speaker phone and pressing a couple buttons it's like an answering machine (but better!). Again, this is something you have to figure out -- it's not in the manual! I also LOVE the intercom system. We can transfer calls from the third floor office to the basement, or the kids room, etc. with the press of a button. No more yelling through the house that the phone is for someone, or doing three flights of stairs. It's SO easy to use. We have had no issues at all with it. The battery has an AMAZING life too. We are bad about keeping it on the base.

I did read a lot of complaints about not being able to clear calls in the caller ID at all the stations at once. I'm not sure why you would want to. Why waste your time, the most recent ones are always there. Perhaps I'm missing something there.

I highly recommend it!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: difficult
Review: This phone is extremely difficult to program. Once it is finally programed, one has to keep the manual handy to learn how to use its very complicated features.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally.....a good cordless phone system
Review: This phone is great! The only negative is that it takes a while for the flashing light to go off once you clear your new mssgs off your voice mail. The intercom feature saves a lot of yelling in the house and the transfer call capability is awesome!
The handsets (although slim) are very comfortable and the range has been fine in our home and yard.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: No answering machine and Memory to save number
Review: This phone lacks two features that I am looking for. One is the answering machine and the other is to store numbers so that a call can be dialed with single touch. Lack of the talking beyond 50ft is a big drawback?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very happy I ordered this phone
Review: This phone replaces an old V-Tech 900 MHz that I've had for close to 10 years. Features I was looking for were: 5.8GHz, expandable handsets, speaker phone, dual keypads.

This phone gives me all of the features I am looking for and then some. I found all of the reviews on Amazon VERY helpful in helping me to make my decision. I was initially leaning towards the V-Tech because my old one has been dropped about 5' more times than I want to count and has always been a good phone. After reading some reviews of the 5.8 GHZ, I decided I'd look at the Panasonic. Unfortunately, there were negative things about the Panasonic that turned me away from them. Also, my sister-in-law has one and HATES it! I came across the Motorola by chance and after reading all the reviews decided to give it a try. I will NOT be returning this phone. I am MORE than pleased with it. It is true that it does not have speed-dial memory locations, but you have 50 (I believe) numbers that you can put into EACH the base and the handset (different numbers if you prefer) and getting to these numbers is SO easy, I didn't find that an issue for me. One reviewer on this site said you could hit a letter (on the keypad) to quickly take you to the beginning of that letter instead of scrolling through the entire alphabet, and I found that VERY helpful. I also love the intercom and the handsfree features! Both work great! Great bonus features that I didn't have on my old phone!

I did notice, only at times, that there does seem to be a little bit of an echo, but when I turn down the volume on my handset, it goes away. This does not bother me enough to not like the phone as it isn't always an issue.

I will be coming back and getting at least one of the expandable handsets in the near future.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best is not always perfect
Review: We had a failure of the base unit for our Siemens Gigaset 4210 system, which made the whole system inoperative. Although this system is still under warranty and will be repaired, we never liked using it. Therefore, we decided to replace that system with a different one. We considered 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz cordless phones. We did not have any requirements for extraordinary range or wireless LAN compatibility. The choices were numerous, but our final selection of a new Motorola MD671 system resulted after a compromise of our requirements.

Our needs seemed to be simple, but just try to satisfy them in a cordless phone or phone system. While researching our choices, we came across a review that stated "... if these features are available in a cell phone, why can't I have them in a cordless?" We strongly agree with this remark, and we feel that the manufacturers should get their cell and cordless design teams talking to each other to exchange some of the good feature ideas.

Our requirements for multiple phones or a phone system:
• Speed dial or memory dial
• Long battery life
• Ability to operate during a power failure
• Phonebook sharing among the handsets and base (system phones only)
• Clear, easy-to-read display
• Good sound quality
• Solid feel and comfortable to use
• Speaker operation in all handsets
• Voicemail notification (FSK light)
• Caller ID

We did not have requirements for other features, such as intercom, so other reviews may be helpful when considering those features. We also did not want to get into a phone or system with an answering machine.

After using the Motorola MD671 system for a few days, I can provide some pros and cons, from our perspective. You can see that it is a mixed bag that did not meet all of our requirements.

PROS
• Very simple to set up and use. The menu is limited and intuitive. It is the polar opposite of our former Siemens phones. What a joy to see Motorola keep it simple.
• The buttons have a good spacing, although they are small and hard to read, and a nice rubbery feel.
• 1400 mAh NiMH battery should have long life and does not need the discharge cycles that a NiCd battery does. It should have about 50% longer life than the Panasonic 850 mAh NiCd batteries.
• The battery meter shows small increments of change, unlike the other phones that we tried. For example, our former Siemens handsets show remaining battery capacity in three discrete segments.
• A spare battery pack can be inserted into the base unit to keep the phone system working during a power outage. Motorola estimates that the unit will operate for about 2-1/2 hours. No base-unit functions will operate on backup battery power, but the handsets will be fully functional. Note that handset batteries can be interchanged in the base unit for longer power-outage operation.
• Sound quality seems indistinguishable from most corded phones.
• Speakerphone operates great. It has clear sound, and it is full duplex, although you will not see that it is in the user's manual.
• Display uses large characters, making it easier to read, possibly even without your glasses.
• Handsets have a rubber edges, which provide a comfortable, "grippy" feel. The handsets feel great in the hand and on the ear, and they have a solid, well-balanced feel.
• Simple volume switch located on the rubber edge of the handset.
• Easy to mute while using the handset.
• Voicemail light works great. Not only does the base unit flash, each handset flashes when there is a message waiting.
• Small antenna looks good, never gets in the way, and is less of a temptation to our bird.

CONS
• Each handset and the base operate independently. Therefore, when a missed call is registered on the display, it must be cleared from each handset and base to have a "clean slate" waiting for the next set of calls. Likewise, each CID register must be independently cleared. It would be more convenient to have an action at one unit affect the whole system.
• Blue backlighting is a little difficult to read. Perhaps white or a light shade of green would be easier to see.
• User's manual is too brief. It does not include some of the features of the phone, such as pressing a letter on the keypad to quickly go to the start of that section of the phonebook.
• No phonebook sharing, which means that you need to key in phonebook entries into each of your handsets and the base individually. This feature could be good for families with multiple teenagers, who each want to have their own phonebook that cannot be changed by another handset.
• No one- or two-number speed dial. This one I just can't understand, because cell phones and most other cordless phones have it. On this phone, you either need to scroll through the phonebook (you can use the shortcut described above) or sign up for speed dial from the phone company. We did the latter.
• Handset does not stand up in a "normal speakerphone orientation." However, the belt clip and the battery cover keep the speaker off of a surface adequately to lay the phone down, buttons up. In this position, it will never fall over while using it.
• Information is hard to find for this phone. For instance, the Motorola site compares their cordless phones, and they say that this model has speed dial (it doesn't) and does not have redial (it does).
• If you like to cradle your handset on your shoulder, this phone may be too slim.

Overall, we think that we found an excellent cordless system, but we will have to use it longer to really have an adequate experience base for comment. If this phone had shared phonebooks and speed dial, we would "be in cordless heaven."

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Negative Experience
Review: We purchased this phone to replace a Panasonic 900MHz cordless speaker phone. After a few weeks use we've concluded that this phone has more negatives than positives. These are:

1. Sound quality poor, both in speaker phone and handset

2. Speakerphone occasionally "screeches" similar to a microphone when the speaker is too close.

3. Handset buttons are way too small, plus they are gray with small black printing. Very little contrast.

5. Design looks like an attempt at retro 1950's modern.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sleek & Stylish, but can it perform
Review: Well after reading hundreds of reviews and researching the cordless phone market, I purchased the new Motorola MD671 today on a whim. After all the research I had done, I saw it in the store and desided to give it a shot.

My initial impression of the MD671 is easy to use, with a sleek style and a cool blue glow. I have only made a hadfull of calls thus far and cannot comment yet on the sound quality, but it seems to be pretty clear. The setup was a breeze. It took about 6 minutes for the base and 2 extra handsets to take there position in my home. Navigating the menus was simple and clear.

So far here is the break-out. I will be sure to post more once I have used it a few days.

Pros:

-Easy to Set-up
-Handsets Charged fast (within 3-4 hours "out-of-the-box")
-Simple Menu system
-Ring-Tones are clear
-8 Ring-Tones that are pretty standard
-COOL BLUE GLOW
-Buttons are easy to Dial - NOTE: looked at the AT&T 5.8 series and did not like the buttons, they where not very comfortable

CONS:
-Phone book can not be shared: If you end up haveing 6 phone, by the time you get done programming all of them, you will have the numbers memorized. This is a common problem with all other flavors except the Panasonic
-There seems to be a lack of features

Cordless Phone General Commnets:
>>> If the manufacturers want to make a killing, they should offer cordless phones with the same type feature set as you get with modern cell phones. I know there are some phones that have selected features, but knowone has really scored a Hat-Trick yet. Phone books with the ability to have one name and multiple numbers, downloadable ring tones. Voice Dialing, and maybee even the ability to program / manage contact / setting through a computer.

Be sure to check back for more information on the new MD671, I have 13 more days to complete my evaluation.


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