Customer Reviews

Casio Phonemate TA105 Digital Answering Machine with Time and Day Stamp

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

 

 

I bought this machine, because I needed something not very expensive fast to replace my old machine. I did not want anything particularly "cool". So... this machine is certainly not the coolest on the market, but it is aesthetically pleasing (i.e. cute) and it works. WARNING: three things I did not like, though...First, the battery is not included. Second, each and every time you check your messages, this annoying digital voice announces everything at least twice(yes, he is supposed to stamp date and time, but must he say his lines two times in a raw?...). Third, when you want to erase messages, you have to listen to them again, wait until they are over and only then erase button works. But, then again, I do not have much experience with other digital machines, so may be they all do that.

I've been using this answering machine for a few weeks now, and I am pleased. It gets light usage, but performs well. I especially like the simplicity of pressing the big blue button to review calls. The erase button is easy to use too - but you do have to wait for the message to stop playing before it can be erased. The voice prompts are helpful. I'm not sure how I would like this machine for heavy duty or multiple users, but for my needs for a simple, straightforward "call catcher" it works great.

I had to send the first one back because the battery backup didn't work. Beyond that, it is a decent machine without a lot of features. The sound quality is fine and the message is clear when you call up. My only complaint is that it is difficult to erase individual messages. If you just hit "erase" in the middle of the message it won't go away. You have to listen to the whole thing then hit the button at just the right time to get rid of that message. Otherwise you have to either erase all of them or listen again.

I bought this machine about two weeks ago and have had no problems. The set-up was easy and understanding how it works is simple. Some customers made the point that you can't erase messages while they are playing which they found annoying. This is not true. I found that all you have to do is press the erase key and then skip. Thereby you can get rid of the message and not have to listen to it over. A simple two step procedure.

Very poor quality. This machine only worked properly for approx. 2 weeks. The machine will still answer calls, play outgoing & incoming messages, but both the outgoing and incoming messages are speeded up causing extreme distortion.

This answering machine is terrible. First of all, it replays messages. It will also tell you, for example, that you have 3 messages when you only have 1 or 2. However, the replay of messages is the worst problem of this machine. It doesnt happen all the time, but it happens enough to make it extremely annoying. Even after you have deleted your previous messages, it will tell you it has five messages, for instance, but the first three are replays.

I wouldnt have paid 10 cents for it had i known its annoying problems.

The inability to repeat messages can be annoying. Erasing messages can be difficult. However, I have had no problems retrieving messages from remote locations -- which was nearly impossible to do with the ancient analog answering machine that this machine replaced. If you're like me, you probably have free voice mail from your cell phone provider, and your friends, relatives & business associates know they can always reach you via email. So, your landline answering machine's primary mission is to discourage &*#@ telemarketers! This machine does the job.

This machine also has its own ringer which you can turn on or off, and it does have a repeat message function which is useable from remote phones.

Ok, these "user's review" have their share of dummies, but some of the reviews about this great little answering machine top them all ! Beware: don't believe eveything you read !

This Casio of mine has been working perfectly for 2 years now: electrical burn-outs are no problem: the 9 volt battery takes care of the outgoing message and all of the recorded messages.

You CAN erase each message individually, and skip to the next one, without being forced to listen to is entirety. It does everything it claims in the manual, and you would know that if you'd READ THE MANUAL !

Works great ! Buy it if you cand find one !

I bought mine because it had the fewest buttons with the most obvious functions. It's for my technophobic father-in-law who won't touch a PC and can't operate most of the functions of his TV's remote control. This is the best user interface I have seen for such people. They really put some thought into it. They didn't just put up a group of identical, symetrically-arranged buttons whose labels you have to read to know which to press. I bought mine at Goodwill, so it came without a user's manual. But it was obvious enough how to use it, and the stickers on the back provided enough additional information to ease setting up the outgoing message and correct day and time.

I thank Casio for their attention to the user interface. More companies should do likewise.

The single problem I have had is that the VOX threshhold is a bit too high. Some calls get cut off after 10 seconds (all mine from my work phone) while most of them can go on - presumably up to the documented 5 minute limit.