Rating: Summary: Confusing Review: I wanted a portable phone and ordered the 4200 Gigaset. When it arrived, I saw that this was actually a supplementary unit and won't work without a compatible base station unit. That will teach me to read the fine print next time. There is a wide variation in pricing on the matching units, but it's tough to tell the real difference between any of them. Also some of the units use NiCad batteries (and the listing indicates that they do) while others probably use Li-Ion batteries (but the listing doesn't specifically indicate that). NiCad batteries never seem to last and I won't buy a device that uses them. I am surprised at how difficult a process this has been. I haven't used it yet (need that base station), but gave it only three stars because if it's this confusing just to buy one, I am not confident that the user experience will be any more pleasant.
Rating: Summary: Caller ID 2.5 Review: I was a former developer of this product line. The development was moved from the USA to Germany. As far as the term "Caller ID 2.5", in order to enable the feature, you need to ask for "Caller ID Deluxe" service with the phone companies.Caller ID 2.5 is a compromise between 2.0 and 3.0. Since the phone didn't have the display required for 3.0, the feature was implemented in the buttons on the 8825 base and the menus of the handsets like in other Caller ID boxes, but it is not a standard term recognized by phone companies. I purchased the phone for its speakerphone capabilities.
Rating: Summary: THE BEST PHONE QUALITY/DESIGN/PERFORMANCE YET Review: If you are shopping for a new phone, this one will exceed ALL your expectations. This phone could be easily sold in [higher monitary]range and still beat any competitors. For [money]it's a STEAL. PLUS you get Voice Activation and Digital Answering Machine for FREE. Honestly, to fully utilize the potential of this phone you need to get familiar with rather thick product manual. But most operations are intuitive. Before I purchased this phone I did quite a bit of a research on top of the line models from Panasonic, Sony, etc. This Siemens 4215 won with a large gap after all comparisons. When I received this phone I was OVERWHELMED with all the futures as wel as design and built quality. I must note that this phone uses AA rechargable batteries which gives you: Pros: Cheap to replace and easy to find. Cons: Batteries do not last long on one charge and require often recharging. Again, I Strongly Recommend this wonderful unit from Siemens.
Rating: Summary: Not a better handset than the 4000 for the 4015 base station Review: If you have a 4010 or 4015 base station you can't use voice dialing. The Screen is harder to read than the 4000 because they chose to use white characters on black background for some of the text. It doesn't have a headset jack. The buttons are smaller. The only reason to buy this handset for a 4000 series base station is if you need a compatible speaker phone. Otherwise save some money and stick with the 4000.
Rating: Summary: Searching for a Base to Belong to Us Review: It's a beautiful, intuitive device. But alas, this supplementary handset can't find home--unless you read the instructions that come included with the phone--place it in the cradle, turn it off, and it will register itself. I had purchased a 4215-which by the way, works flawlessly. Every feature is amazing, including the unmentioned Evening Settings, which allows you to set a volume level for a predetermined time period. Even the voice dialing works as advertised (which is a one-key operation, if you read the manual). And finally, a date and time on the phone display...why every device in the world doesn't have this feature, I can't guess...
Rating: Summary: Great phone, if it worked better. Review: My husband bought this phone (in addition to the model with a telephone base) for me because of it's simple to use features and because I needed a reliable phone that could go with me while I chased my kids around the house. Unfortunately, it only took a week for problems to arise and they worsened over the next several months. Phone conversations were interupted with a choppy, static like noise. Sometimes, when dialing, the phone would take forever to dial a number only to find that it hadn't connected properly and never completed the dial. We also had problems with connectivity to the base. As the phone would ring, the base couldn't find the handset saying "searching"...and we wouldn't be able to answer the phone without running to another phone in the house. It has wonderful features, including memory redial of several numbers, call id, an extensive phone directory that's easy to program and much more. Perhaps Siemens will figure out the bugs and put out a better model. So far, we've tried three of these things hoping that the previous model was just a lemon...much to our dismay, they all failed. Wish it had worked better. :(
Rating: Summary: Wow! Review: Purchased this phone to use as an additional handset to the Siemens 4215. For those not familar with the Siemens system - up to three of the 4200 series handsets can be used to expand the 4215 base system. You can have phones (4 total)all over the house without the cost of adding wiring and new jacks. I am able to walk to a neighbors home on the two acres next to mine & make/receieve calls with prefect clarity - even inside! One more thing - this phone takes two regular AA rechargeable batteries, so no more expensive batteries that sometimes can cost more than the original phone.
Rating: Summary: Be forewarned! Review: The Siemens Gigaset 4200, 4210, and 4215 units are powerful telephones, but be FOREWARNED.... Customers residing in the 14-state Qwest (formerly US West) service area may NOT be able to utilize some of the advanced telephone features. Siemens claims that the 4200-series provides support for "Advanced Caller ID on Call Waiting" (aka "Caller ID 2.5") when the service is obtained from the local telephone company. The Siemens 4215 User's Manual states, "The Gigaset 4215 fully supports this convenient telephone company feature." Don't believe it!!!! Siemens provides support for "Caller ID 2.5" and claims it is a "standard". [Local Company] provides "Call Waiting Deluxe" which requires Type 3 (aka ADSI or Analog Display Service Interface) CPE (Customer Premises Equipment). Type 3 CPE can be programmed (by calling a [local company]-provided 800 number) for use in the [local] service area with the "Call Waiting Deluxe" service. Siemens' Gigaset 4200-series CANNOT be programmed to work with the [local] "Call Waiting Deluxe" service. How Siemens can sell a brand new telephone boldly claiming support for features that require support from, but are not provided by, one of the major national telephone companies (serving 14 states and millions of consumers) is absolutely beyond me! Siemens customer support is rather unknowledgeable regarding these matters. They're good at making excuses and claiming that "2.5 is the current standard", but absolutely of no assistance in making this customer happy. I won't be buying any more of these telephones and can't recommend them to anyone.
Rating: Summary: Great quality, excellent features ! Review: This handset is extraordinary. The built-in speakerphone is very convenient. It has more features than the 4000-series handset (extensive menu, speakerphone, etc.), but it basically does the same in terms of sound quality and range. I have never had battery problems. It uses two standard AA Ni-Cd batteries that last forever. Quite impressive! I give this product 5 stars for quality and excellent features. You can use this handset on the Gigaset 4010, 4015, 4200 and 4215 base stations.
Rating: Summary: Great High-Tech phone Review: This new technology where you only need one phone line to run many phones is great. I bought the Siemens, hoping it is the best. It looks very nice, works well, etc, etc.... The feature for calling between handsets is pretty cool, like an intercom but much better. The only negatives may apply to all these: - There is a slight delay before it starts ringing. Probably something to do with the radio part. - Like a cell phone, you can choose from many different ring tones, but NONE of them sound like a regular phone ring.
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