After going through several cordless phones in less than a year, I decided to go with a brand I knew and trusted: General Electric. GE has been around for over 100 years, so they have had plenty of practice building and designing home electronics. Although it was a bit more expensive, the cordless phone I chose was the GE DECT 6.0 with dual handset.
GE DECT 6.0 – Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephone
The GE DECT 6.0 is a digital cordless phone, which means the GE DECT 6.0 doesn’t pick up interference from other household electronics. With my last cordless phone, if the microwave was going, I couldn’t hear the other person on the phone due to the static and interference – even if I was in a different room clear across the house. I can stand on top of the microwave and get clear reception with the GE DECT 6.0.
GE DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone Design
I am so picky when it comes to cordless phones. Since I spend so much time on the phone, I have to test them against my ear before I purchase one. The GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone is easy to hold and feels natural against my ear.
The buttons are medium-sized and the blue back light makes it easy to dial in the dark. The handset becomes another clock as it displays the time in big numbers on the Caller ID panel.
GE DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone Features and Goog-411
Goog-411 is a free directory assistance by Google that is built right into its own button on the GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone. When you press the Goog-411 button, it asks for a business and the city and state. “What business name or category?” the automated operator asks. If you ask for ‘pizza’, Goog-411 will give you the top results in that category, the business address, and phone number. Goog-411 will also connect your call free.
Other features include speaker phone, mute button, multiple and assignable ring tones, and a 50-number Caller ID.
GE DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone – Reliability and Functionality
This is my only issue with the GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone, but it’s big enough that I would warn everyone I know and all my readers to not buy a GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone. The GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone does not work!
Multiple times every day my GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone doesn’t work. When I pick up the fully-charged handset and push the ‘talk’ button, it beeps at me and then displays the word ‘Searching….’ It searches for a bit, then shows the cordless phone as ‘Out of Range’. Sometimes the GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone will work for one phone call, but then not work two minutes later when I receive a call and can’t answer the phone.
The FAQ section on Home-Electronics.net has an answer for when the GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone says ‘Out of Range’. First, make sure you are close enough to the base. Check. I’m 2 inches from the base. Then try resetting the battery by unplugging it for five seconds, then plugging it back in. If all else fails, the recommendation is to reset the power supply by unplugging the GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone from the wall.
Resetting the battery and/or the power supply does work… for maybe an hour. I have missed so many calls because the GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone doesn’t ring reliably. It’s frustrating when I need to make a call and have to constantly reset the phone. What if I had an emergency? “Unplug the battery and wait five seconds to plug it back in.”
GE DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone – Price
I purchased my GE DECT 6.0 cordless phone with dual handset at Wal-Mart a few months ago and paid $89.99. The GE DECT 6.0 is available online at various outlets for less than the $90 I paid for mine. Considering all the features the GE DECT 6.0 has, I would say the cordless phone is worth the $80 or $90 it costs. Oh, except it doesn’t work. Nevermind.
Sources:
“General Electric”, Wikipedia.com
“DECT 6.0 Digital Interference Free”, Home-Electronics.net
“My phone is out of range”, Home-Electronics.net
