Customer Reviews

GE 26981GE3 900 MHz Analog Cordless Phone with Alarm Clock and Caller ID (Silver)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For those of you reading the two reviews above me, please take note that these reviews are actually for the model 26981GE2. The model for sale at Amazon.com is the new and improved model 26981GE3. (If you don't want to take my word for it check out the product specs & description on this site or go to GE's website to see all the features.)

With the newer GE3 model, the phone keypad is now lighted. And the single alarm has been changed to a dual alarm. What more could you want?

Personally, I can only wake up to music and not an annoying beeping sound of an alarm. So to eliminate clutter on my nightstand I have always had an all in one alarm clock/radio/ phone. My previous corded phone/radio/alarm clock had a manual radio turner. I got sick of waking up to the hissing of the radio not quite on the station. With the manual tuner and the bad reception in my house, every evening I had to adjust the radio to the channel to get it in clearly, but by morning the station had again faded to a hiss.

Most other alarm clock/radio/phones in the price range of this GE 26981GE3 have a manual radio tuner. Also some other models that sell for more than this model only have a manual radio tuner! With this new GE radio, the digital tuner locks the station and the FM antenna being in the power cord keeps the station clear. And with the radio preset, if my children change my radio station, I can just push a button to get it back.

As for the complaint of the large display being too bright, I prefer it. Without my glasses I am almost twice the limit of being legally blind. And it is a pain to try to find my glasses in the middle of the dark night to put them on just to see the time. Also my husband can look from across the king size bed and see the time without having to have his own clock on his nightstand. If the dimmest setting is too bright for you, take the suggestion of putting a smoky colored film over the display.

I have done a lot of research and the only other unit like this in this price range with the digital tuner and all the other features was the GE 26980GE1, but they stopped making it a year or two ago. (Just before I could buy it!) It was replaced with the 26981GE2 which is the radio reviewed in the first two reviews above me. But complaints about that model because it lacked some of the features the previous model had prompted GE to make this newer version.

Zenith makes one with a CD player included but the phone is not cordless. It does however have a triple alarm. But it sells for over $100.00! More that twice the price of this model! And when I listen to a CD, I want to listen to it on a big stereo (which I already have in my bedroom), so I choose not to have a CD player on my alarm clock.

This GE 26981GE3 is a great buy!!! But be ware, many online sites are selling the previous 26981GE2 for the same price as the improved 26981GE3! The unit looks almost identical so be sure to check the model number. Why pay the same for fewer features?

This clock radio has practically all the bells and whistles you can ask for. The only shortcomings that I found was that the telephone was the old fashion 900 MHG analog instead of the 2.4 digital GHZ. This can be a small minus as the phone has 40 different channels to tune to in case of interference. The other disadvantages is that the large clock numerals gives off so much light (even in low display mode) that you can use it for a night light. If you sleep with your head at the same height as the clock radio you will have the light in your eyes each time you turn in that direction. A solution for this problem would be putting a piece of dark colored cellophane over the lighted numbers. Also, the phone does not have a lighted keypad for night viewing and clock radio doesn't have the dual alarm feature.

It took me months to find a clock radio w/ a cordless phone that had most of the features I was looking for, and at a reasonable price. I bought 2 others that I returned. One thing to keep in mind is not all clock radios w/ phones had a lighted time on them. I returned one ( by southeastern bell) after I woke up in the middle of the night and looked at my clock for the time, and it was dark. What good is a clock radio in the bedroom if you can't see it with the lights out??. I also looked at a clock radio being sold at Frontgate. It had all the features I was looking for but they wanted $99.00 plus $15.00 for shipping. This GE model has all the same features except dual alarm and a night light ( how often would you turn on a night light on your clock for $60.00 more than what this one sells for. The phone works great, and even the radio has decent sound considering it isn't a stereo. Overall, this phone is a good buy at a good price.

I recently spent a lot of time looking for a cordless phone + clock radio for my wife. I was a little wary because almost every choice seemed to have something going against it. I chose this because it seemed to be the best overall. Price was no constraint in this selection. So far, I am very happy with it. Settings are intuitive and it was easy to set up. My only quibble is that the LCD display is on the back of the handset so that you can get caller ID while the phone is in the cradle. This also means that you can't see the numbers when you are dialing the phone without flipping it over to make sure you are pressing the right numbers. My wife complains that it seems to have only two snooze cycles. Other than that it is great.

This is just what I was looking for. It is small, efficient and very easy to use. If you are needing a phone/radio/alarm-clock, this does everything you need.

I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!! It is easy to use and I like being able to see the time without any problem. The phone is sturdy and works great. I don't listen to the radio much but have been pleased when I do. This phone/radio/alarm clock is exactly what I wanted.

Finally, a phone with a reasonably good radio that doesn't spill over the edge of my night table. The setup for the radio is excellent, each control easy to find even when the lights are out. Only one problem--the compartment for the 9 volt battery designed to save your setup even if there is a power interruption, caused a burning type smell for a half hour after setup. So far, no further difficulty.

I think most people will be happy with this appliance. I discarded two previous similar purchases of phone/radio combos after using this one for the last month.

Contrary to what the one review said about the alarm clock being dual alarmed, she must have gotten a one of a kind phone, or she didn't order the same phone as the rest of us. I verified that I indeed did get the G3 model and it is NOT dual alarm. The worst part of this is when you visit the GE web page it says the phone IS in its online User Manual. Oddly, though, the phone pictured in their online manual doesn't look anything like the one in the Amazon.com web page. The one I got looks like the one in the Amazon.com web page. An even more interesting note; I tried to see if I could get this phone directly from the GE web site (which is really Thomson electronics, not GE), there is no option to place this phone or it's twin black one, into your cart. When I inquired with the Customer Service Department via email I was told that since it is not available to add to your cart then they have probably discontinued this model. Strange that they would still have it listed as one of their current product lines. I found it in the products link, not in the technical support area. This whole ordeal is just very strange; I wonder how many different phones were made and given the same model number? It kind of makes me leary now of GE products.

I, too, ordered this clock radio phone (Model 26981GE3) expecting a dual alarm as previous reviews and the product manual (viewed from the Amazon link and the manufacturer's website) both indicated. However, because I liked the other features of this clock radio phone, I decided to keep it. The unit is easy to operate and understand, the phone reception is pretty good (a little occasional static but not bad), and the digital numbers are easy to read. I had recently purchased another brand model that had a 2.4 GHZ cordless phone and the reception was terrible so I returned it. The reception on this phone is much better than the other model I tried and I am happy with this one so far!

Phone + clock radio: it may be a rare combination, but it makes a lot of sense. At the end of the day, I'm too wiped out to stay at my desk and call the kids; and for incoming morning calls, I'd rather answer the phone while I'm in bed half-conscious than half dead after taking a header or two while trying to get to the next room in time.

I had hoped to replace my original GE model (26981GE1), which was compact, understated, and effective. Unfortunately, I've managed to lose the phone in my own house (either the cat took it or I brought it up to the attic--like looking for a copper penny in the Sahara). Concerning some other consumers' complaints about the successor, I'll admit I did find the dual alarm feature useful--whether as a backup alarm or an alternate setting on the days when it's not necessary to answer the bell so early. Unfortunately, not only is this feature missing in the "new and improved" model but the successor is a postmodern eyesore compared to the original.

Besides missing the dual alarm, the new model lacks the radio pre-sets (6) of the original and the convenient, finger-friendly controls. Not only are the controls tinier and semi-concealed, but the verticality of the design leads to less stability: pushing on the tuning button, for example, pushes the entire radio away from the user. So what's the overall "gain"? The current model has Caller ID, which may be worth the trade-off for some consumers.

Despite the review below (under January 20), the only difference between the GE2 and GE3 is color (white vs. silver). Otherwise, the sensitivity and selectivity of the tuner as well as the quality of the sound, though a shade below the original model, are quite acceptable. (I tried the Conair model for twenty bucks but immediately returned it because of lousy radio reception and sound.)

All in all, a fairly unique but useful product, though you may wish to attach your own cord to the phone.

[Since writing the above, I've discovered another positive and negative about the unit: 1. the new model has a paging button on the base, which may prevent loss of the phone; 2. the sensitivity of the radio is worse than I originally thought, confirmed by a side-by-side comparison of the original and new models. If you're counting on receiving that FM station that's 50 miles away, this new model may not pull it in. I'm beginning to think the Caller ID and paging button aren't enough to atone for the negatives. Back it goes. I'm going to scour the attic one more time.]