ATT White Corded Speakerphone (CL2909) Reviews
ATT has been making different versions of this same basic phone for years. I've owned two previous models (950 and 959), so this review will include some comparisons. The good news is the CL2909 is arguably the best in the series.br /br /Prosbr /------br /- Sound quality good (both ends) in either handset or speakerphone use.br /- Initial configuration straightforward.br /- One-touch numbers easy to store.br /- Number keys large and easy to read.br /- Decent manual.br /br /Consbr /-------br /- Visibility of the LED display a bit muted even on the highest contrast setting.br /- No internal battery to save settings while changing AA batteries.br /- No headphone jack.br /br /Nitpicksbr /------------br /- Finer control over volume adjustment would be nice.br /- Caller ID memory when set to "Combined" doesn't seam to work as advertised. It is supposed to combine multiple instances of the same caller into a single entry. If someone called you five times, their entry should only appear once with a Date/Time stamp for the most recent call. This feature has never worked for me on earlier models. Have not tried on the CL2909.br /br /New in this Modelbr /--------------------------br /- The color scheme is now two-tone with the bottom half gray.br /- Re-styled handset. It's heavier with a more solid feel.br /- Chain dialing. Interesting idea. You can pre-record number sequences for use in voice menus, such as keying in a lengthy account number for your utility service. Not sure how useful this will be.br /- Grippier rubber feet. Older models slipped around more readily on slick counter tops.br /br /Other Reviewer Dislikesbr /----------------------------------br /1. Handset cord not long enough.br /Perfectly acceptable for desktop or sidestand use. If you need a longer cord for walking around or in the kitchen, you can always buy one.br /br /2. Callers hear an annoying click when volume is adjusted up or down.br /I tested this from both a landline phone and cell phone. Did not hear any clicks or beeps. br /br /3. Callers hear an annoying click when phone is muted or unmuted.br /Handset Use - Did not hear any clicks or beeps. You could hear the ambient background noise go away then return, but what would you expect? The Mute function turns off the microphone. br /br /Speakerphone Use - As with handset use, when the phone is muted the caller will hear the ambient background noise go away, but I did not hear any clicks or beeps. When the phone is unmuted, however, they WILL hear a slight beep. Here's why:br /br /By design, the user hears a beep as a form of audio feedback anytime the volume is adjusted or the phone muted or unmuted. The beep is not intended for the caller on the other end of the line. br /br /The caller hears a faint beep when the phone is unmuted on speakerphone because sequentially the phone first unmutes (turns the microphone back on) then emits the confirmation beep. This sequence allows the caller to hear the beep through the speakerphone microphone. It's fairly muffled but can be head.br /br /I agree this is a design oversight. It should beep first then reactivate the microphone. Someone should contact the company and let them know, so it can be changed in future models.br /br /Conclusionbr /----------------br /If you've been a consumer for any length of time, you probably noticed some companies will take a successful product over time and cheapen it until it is a shadow of its former self. (Hello, Detroit.) They do this to grow the business or maximize profits by reducing cost. The CL2909 represents a departure from that thinking. In several small yet significant ways it is a better phone than earlier models. br /br /I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a basic landline home phone.br /
ATT White Corded Speakerphone (CL2909) Feature
- ATT Corded Speakerphone
- Speakerphone
- 14 Number Memory
- 65 Name /Number Caller ID History
- No AC Power Needed
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Terrible speaker phone and mute button functionality - rieserat -
Speaker phone quality is terrible - people on the other end of the line hear knocking noises and voices are muffled. When going on and off mute (while on speaker), there is a loud beep that people on the other line can hear. It's very distracting - why would a manufacturer even think this is ok?? After about one month of usage, the handset didn't work - people on the other end of the phone could not hear me speaking. I won't buy another ATT phone because of the poor quality I experienced with this one.
Total engineering FAIL - Daniel L Edelen - Mt. Orab, OH USA
After my local phone company crosswired the DC on my phone line and fried the phones in my home, I had to replace the stalwart GEs that I had had for years, speakerphones that just plain worked. I checked reviews and decided the ATT CL2909 was a good option for one of the phones I needed to replace.br /br /Boy, are some of the reviews of this phone WAAAAY off. This thing is an engineering catastrophe.br /br /Every function on this phone, save for the basic function of actually dialing a number and talking with another human over the handset, WILL NOT WORK unless four AA batteries are installed! Considering that all landline phones draw DC power by default, how is it possible that this phone can't tap any advanced functions without batteries installed? My old speakerphone used one AA to keep numbers in memory alive should there be a power failure, yet even the speakerphone function on this ATT will not work unless all four batteries are installed. Here's the FAIL list if the user does not install batteries:br /br /Memory backupbr /Caller IDbr /Menu functionsbr /Mutebr /LCD displaybr /Speakerphonebr /Clockbr /Directorybr /Holdbr /Redialbr /Flashbr /CALL INFO lightbr /br /That's a joke. Worse, the box veils the truth by playing up that this phone does not need AC to run. Well, neither did my old GE speakerphone, as only one of its functions depended on batteries, not most all of them. An addendum inside the ATT box tells the sad truth about what leaving the batteries out means. And yes, I removed the batteries as a test, and this phone's advertised strengths vanish. The manual doesn't even get this lack right, insisting the display works without batteries when the handset is lifted. Again, tests reveal this to be wrong also.br /br /Obviously, battery consumption will be huge with this phone. That's a joke, too.br /br /This is supposed to be a desktop/wall-mountable unit. But hanging it on a standard wall mount reveals two maddening problems: The backing plastic is thin and doesn't make for a tight connection, so the phone wobbles on the wall mount, plus the LCD display angle shifts so badly it becomes unreadable, no matter the lighting. No amount of contrast adjustment fixes that LCD-readability problem, either. (The Amazon.com picture of this phone implies it has a helpful greenish backlighting, but no backlighting exists. No doubt ATT supplied the image.)br /br /Do I even need to talk about the clipping when the speakerphone volume is raised? Should I mention the clicking heard by people on hold?br /br /If this phone had been released in 1980, some of these problems could be excused. But for this phone to be so much worse than a phone I purchased 10 years ago is reprehensible engineering. It doesn't matter what the cost, I'd pay twice as much for this phone if it matched what my old GE could do. That it claims to and yet fails so miserably is frustrating to the nth degree.br /br /I've reviewed a couple hundred products here on Amazon.com, and I've got to believe that only the sonic mosquito deterrents are worse products than this utter piece of techno-rubbish. It's as if ATT never asked a human being to use this phone so as to get actual product feedback. That so many purchasers of this phone on Amazon gave it good reviews is baffling when it fails on such simple levels.
Nov 02, 2010 23:37:05
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