Customer Reviews

Panasonic KX-TG2570B 2.4 GHz DSS Cordless Phone with Answering System and Caller ID (Black)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(76)

 

 

The features were good, but the interface was very clunky and difficult to use. It offers just about everything from Caller ID to handset message retrieval, and I got about 200 yards away before being cut off. The answering machine was good. Unfortunately, the battery life is short. It claims a 14 day standby period and 8 hours talk time. Speaking only a few hours indoors, it went dead. We went on vacation for six days. We left with a full charge, and came home to a dead phone. We owned it for 4 weeks before returning it for another unit. We charged the second one fully, and it went dead after *maybe* 2 hours of talking at close range over a 3 day period. We took it back immediately. We couldn't locate it centrally in an open room like they suggest, but it was against a wall and we had little (if any) obstructions when using it. We went to it from a 25 channel Lucent model and were extremely disappointed. We recharged the Lucent once a week tops, and that was not even necessary. Maybe the battery isn't strong enough for all it offers?

Performance was decent, but far from excellent. The range was great, but that was it. People said I sounded distant, and the unit is small. My wife complained she couldn't hold it on her shoulder easily and talk.

Please note the unit is not wall mountable.

I owned the former Panasonic 2.4 GHz and eagerly awaited the release of this new version. I couldn't wait to have the built-in Caller ID, smaller handset and digital answering machine.

I soon discovered some new "features" that made it less superior than its predecessor in many ways. The LCD menu on the handset seems very cool, but reveals major flaws in the user interface. To redial, you have to click at least 3 buttons, perhaps more as you have to "scroll" through your directory. That's terrible - give me the old "speed dial" and number system on the former model (and most other phones).

Here's another problem: there's a great speakerphone but no dialpad on the base! So if you want to use the speakerphone, you have to start with the handset (I noticed Panasonic has since changed this on the non-answering machine models).

But here's one major plus and a feature I have never seen on another phone. You can listen to messages directly on the handset - a great boon for privacy.

Overall, I am only satisfied with this model, when I was thrilled with its predecessor. Hopefully when 10 GHz phones come out Panasonic will have realized some of their mistakes in this latest model.

Cordless phones are quickly becoming the standard in active homes. The Panasonic 2.4 GHz line (2500, 2550, 2570) are among the current crop of high end cordless phones, boasting longer range and better sound quality. I personally have the 2550 (with CallerID but to Answering Machine), but the basic design is almost identical to the 2570. Here are some of the pro's and con's:

Pros:

- Range. In my experience, it is great. I've walked several hundred feet away from my apartment, and still had good sound.

- Headset. The ability to use a headset is liberating.

- Sound Quality. It is very good - since it is digital and of a high frequency, there is little room for static.

- Phone Pager. The pager stays on until you find the phone.

Cons:

- The menus are not intuitive. I am usually a very quick study when it comes to programming electronics. However, the UI of this phone is not really user friendly.

- The redial function. There is no button for redial; you need to press the function button in order to find redial. Furthermore, it only stores one previously called number. With all of the memory it has, it should have a buffer of three or four numbers.

- Caller ID. Having the functionality of Caller ID right on the headset is great. For local numbers, all you have to do is bring up the entry for a number, press the "on" button, and the phone will dial the number. You should be able to do this for long distance numbers as well. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't know to add a "1" before the number. This is a needless problem.

- Volume. There is a volume control for the phone. However, it does not have enough settings for handset AND headset use.

- Headset Size. The trend in phones is smaller. This makes having the phone on your shoulder difficult. I guess that's why there is a headset input.

All in all, it is a good phone. However, for my money I would spend it on something more user friendly. I liked the UI for the Uniden phones, but I've had problems with RF (Radio Frequency) interference. If you are looking for a 2.4 GHz phone with Caller ID, this may be the phone for you. Just wait for a sale.

By far the worst phone I have ever purchased, for a number of reasons.

1. The talk time/standby time stated by the OEM is just plain not true. After 2-3 hours talk time, the phone dies, most of the time while I'm within 10 feet of the base unit.

2. Uneven performance. I am, many times, standing right next to the unit, pick up the handset to make a call, and the phone beeps and goes static and says I'm out of range (2 feet from the handset)

3. It gets very hot after talking on it for a while.

4. The answering machine cuts people off for no reason, despite programming the unit to let message-leaving callers go on for as long as they want. Messages also disappear - too many people have sworn to leaving messages that were never received.

5. Last week, my programmed numbers suddenly disappeared without explanation.

6. Every time I talk on the phone people say they can't hear me, despite talking directly into the mouthpiece.

I must say, I debated a long time about this purchase.... But, I've always had excellent experiences with Panasonic phones, so I went for it. Big mistake - and too late to take it back. Keep shopping, or buy one of their lower-end phones with much better performance.

This phone is great in theory. After a couple of months, everything falls apart. I've read the other reviews and all complaints are consistent with my experience. I've owned my phone for less than a year and I'm throwing it in the trash. The range deteriorates with time and I often receive "out of range" warnings, even when standing next to the base. The sound is distorted and at times I hear nothing but static.

I don't have time to go into detail, but this is the WORST phone I have ever purchased. You'd be better of with the $10 special from Radio Shack.

This is a good phone, but it is curiously missing some features that are standard in cheaper phones. No redial button, no selection of ringer sounds, and the built-in directory is clumsy. If you have caller ID, a light on the base unit blinks continuously, forever, until you review the caller ID list on the handset. Overally I'm satisfied because of the sound quality (A+) and the ergonomics of the handset. But it's definitely not the epitome of cordless phones.

I decided to purchase this phone because I was getting rid of an old AT&T cordless phone/answering system that I have had for years. I wanted to buy something comparable, but with a caller ID and head set. I first bought a Uniden 2.4 Ghz cordless phone/answering system. The quality of the answering system's digital playback was seriously lacking. I also experienced the problem of hearing my voice as an echo; just like other reviewers wrote about. I returned the Uniden, and decided to spend the extra bucks to get a Panasonic. The Panasonic phone is stylish and has crystal clear reception (even with the antennas down). The range of the Panasonic phone was slightly further than the Uniden, but they were both about 100yards (good enough for me). After having owned the phone for a week I am learning about several flaws with the Panasonic:

1. With my old AT&T phone I could quickly dial my frieds by pressing the "Mem" key and a number. On this phone it is a chore. I have to hit function, press down on the big blue button, press the side of the blue button, press the number corresponding with the person's name, and then press talk. 2. Many times I have to press a button on the handset several times before I get a reponse. 3. The hand display is backlit, but the base display isn't. My phone sits in a dark portion of the room and I like to quickly glance at the numer of messages. 4. The display becomes oily since the earpiece sits slightly further back than the display and sometimes touches my face. 5. The digital playback is better than the Uniden but isn't near the quality of my old tape answering machine.

I am contemplating returning this phone and buying a seperate answering machine from the phone. I have seen a Radio Shack 900Mhz phone/answering system advertised that looks promising, but I am going to see if they will let me try it out in the store.

I tried a VTech 2.4 GHx and the whitenoise I heard and the static the person on the other end heard was UNBELIEVEABLE! So I bought this phone (based in part on it being so highly rated in Consumer Reports, October 2000 issue.) It is extremely crisp, as good as my corded phone. I have experienced no problems near microwaves, etc. Obviously others have with this and other phones. I would guess every locale has a different set of electronic waves and interferences, so perhaps that accounts for the wide range of response on that issue. I couldn't be more pleased with the clarity, however. As for the confusing part, the phone and operation is way too complicated. You'd better have the manual handy if you want to take full advantage of all the features. After some use though, it does get easier. But, as others have commented, no mute button! no redial button! ....hard to believe that would be true on nearly a... So I would give it 5 stars for clarity and performance, 3 stars for lack of some features and difficult interface, for an average of four.

I was very confused to see the mixed reviews on this remarkable phone. The sound quality is excellent and the range is very good (I've actually left my apartment building and roamed around the perimeter while speaking on the phone). Standby is extremely long! I've left it off the base for a little over a week, with regular useage and the batteries lasted. This is a great quality phone, and amazon is the only place that sells it at the best price NEW (not re-furbished). I'm sorry to hear that other people experienced low-battery signals, poor reception, etc. - I've had nothing but SUCCESS with this phone and I'm buying two more from amazon as Christmas presents! A+!

I have owned several cordless phones and, in the long run, this was the worst. Performance was not much different than a 900MHz for the first couple of months, though there was an odd "muted" quality to the sound; range however dropped quickly. I was soon unable to go from one room to another without getting unbearable static. Not much later, the charging contacts got tempramental and the phone needed serious jiggling to juice up. Finally, after about four or five months of ownership, the phone died altogether.

If there was just one problem, I might be tempted to blame a faulty unit; with nothing but problems, I have to blame the model. Over on the cnet site, you will find hundreds of similar complaints about the panasonic gigaphones.

Don't waste your money on this one.