Introduction
We moved to a new house with caller ID which we've never had before. Since I didn't want to spend a fortune on phones but I wanted to be able to use the new caller ID feature, I opted to get 3 of the GE 29267GE3 Corded Phones for placement in various areas of the house. So far, so good. And for the price, they can't be beat.</p>
What it is
As the name implies, it is a corded phone. Emblazoned on the handset is the selling point that it is a "Caller ID Phone". It has a silver plastic handset and a black base. A small black and white LCD readout is on the back of the handset with four directional buttons and a middle dial button.
Features
The biggest selling point of this phone is the caller ID feature. This feature works well as it clearly displays the name and phone number of the person calling. Also, it stores a large amount of previous calls. So instead of asking someone else in the house if you got any calls while you were gone, you cans imply look. And since each call is date/time stamped, you'll know exactly when.
In addition, the phone has a 10 number memory dialer so you can quickly recall frequently used numbers. Again, a very handy feature.
Also of note are minor features such as the ability to switch to tone or pulse dialing, wall or desk mount, volume control, etc. I found no problems with any of these.
Quality
The physical quality of the phone is average. Since it’s plastic, it won't take much abuse, but it's not any more fragile than any other phone. The handset is light and well-contoured. The sound quality is as good as any other phone. There was no noticeable hiss and people on the other end said I sounded as clear as any other phone.
Cons
Ah but alas, at the price of $9 the phone is not perfect. The only major gripes I have are that neither the phone cord nor the handset cord are removable. So unless you have a coupler, you'll have to make do as is. And the handset cord is none too long.
The other negative is that each phone takes 4 AA batteries. This is to run the caller ID features and number memory and as a result is not necessary for normal phone operation. However, 4 batteries seems excessive (though it does weight the base down nicely!).
Conclusion
Good phone, better price especially if you need to buy a few of them to stock a house.
