Panasonic KX-TG6072B 5.8 GHz Expandable Digital Cordless Answering System with 2 Handsets,Black

My first Panasonic phone was over 15 years ago based on 49MHz. Never had an issue with that unit until my roommate ran over it after forgetting it was sitting on the roof of the car. So my review is going to be based on how Panasonic used to make their phones as well as the more recent KX-TG2386 model I just bought for my parents.First, if you're coming from old Panasonic phones of 10+ years ago, you'll find these new models are significantly smaller and lighter. I suppose the trend is for all handsets to be small since we've been forced to deal with small cellphones all these years already. At one time it would be nicer to have a larger handset which you can cradle on your shoulder while you keep your hands free to do other things, but since the KX-TG6072B offers built in speakerphone capability, this is really not an issue anymore.To cut to the chase - it sounds good and the range is great. This is being used in a 2 story house with a 802.11G WAP on the 2nd floor and this Panasonic base unit on the 1st floor. Not one bit of interference when using the handset next to the WAP on the 2nd floor, but that is the reason I got a 5.8GHz phone in the first place.My last experience having been with the analog 49MHz FM Panasonic, the lack of any noise is great on this KX-TG6072B... but that should be expected with any FHSS unit. The only comment I can make is compared to a old-fashioned corded desktop phone, the microphone audio on this Panasonic sounds a little muffled but then again so does my parents' new KX-TG2386 which is also FHSS but on 2.4GHz. I'm guessing this must be how digital cordless phones (at least Panasonic) will sound.This microphone audio quality is carried over to speakerphone operation as well, but here the speakerphone mic sensitivity is pretty good. You can pick up voices from across the room (with echo caused by the room of course) but it is still intelligible. On the speaker side, the speakerphone audio is pretty good and clear (more fidelity than the microphone audio it seems) but it is probably not loud enough to use if you're outside with the lawnmower running nearby.As for features, well the digital cordless phones definitely have a lot of features. They were all new to me but probably to the seasoned Panasonic user, they will be familiar. Having setup my parents' KX-TG2386 unit just a couple weeks before I got the KX-TG6072B, I can tell you the menu operation from the handset is nearly identical so Panasonic is at least sticking with a common mode of handset operation.Now having just setup a KX-TG2386 for my parents, I can tell you some things I wish the KX-TG6072B did. One thing the KX-TG6072B does not do is 'one-touch' dialing. I suppose that is an oversight on my part because the description no where says it does one-touch. But considering the KX-TG6072B is from Panasonic's *newest* series just released in March 2007, I would have thought it had all the bell-n-whistles. The other thing the KX-TG6072B does not have that the KX-TG2386 does is a digital count display of messages unplayed in the answering machine. Again, a minor nit-pick since the KX-TG6072B will tell you by synthesized voice when hitting the play button how many messages are waiting. It's just a convenience factor to come home and visually see if only 1 or *10* messages came in while you were gone.A final nit-pick (which I feel is justifiable) is the speed of the Phone Book Dialer. By speed, I mean how fast the phone number is automatically dialed for you. Since you have to hit a soft-button to access the Phone Book dialer, then "scroll" for your desired person and finally hit "Talk"... it can actually be several button pushes before you finally get the phone to dial the person you want (hence my wish this phone had one-touch dialing). But to add insult, when the phone starts dialing, it only does 2 touch-tones (e.g. digits) every second. In that regard, it can almost take 5 seconds for the phone to dial 1-A/C-xxx-xxxx.Now I don't know about your other phones, but my corded phones from Sony and Sharp do their auto-dial speeds at nearly 5 digits a second so even a full 10-digit phone # only takes a couple seconds. Also if you're pretty nimble on your phone's keypad, you too can probably manually dial your favorite phone #'s pretty quickly from memory faster than this Panasonic will. Hence my use for the Phone Book has quickly diminished to dialing less frequently called people that I haven't memorized their phone #'s. With the elaborate handset menu capability of this phone, I'm surprised Panasonic does not allow selectable auto-dial touch-tone speed settings.All in all I give it 4 stars only shy 1 star from 5 because of the audio quality and the auto-dial speed. I would have thought by now all the digital phones would sound as good as a corded phone but I guess that may be expecting too much. Also if you're expecting to dial anybody in a hurry, I don't suggest using the Phone Book as you will probably be able to dial it faster by hand.

Like most of my reviews, I won't focus too much on the same stuff the other reviewers are. Basically, the phone is good, nice. Let me just point out the pros and cons in my humble opinion. I hope Panasonic is reading all this and take note.Since I am using Panasonic phones for years, I know already their phones well. They are all basically the same, with minor changes at every upgrade - for the better or for the worse...Pros:- Definitely the best design and layout for any Panasonic cordless in years- When charging the phone, an amber lamp indicates that it is charging. It changes to green when charging is complete.- White (actually light-blue) backlit LCD is much nicer than the older orange lighted.- Keypad feel is much better than recent Panasonic phones, though still below par of Uniden and others.- Shows date and time on handset - a first for a Panasonic (since I upgraded last)- Talking caller ID announces the name THE WAY IT'S STORED in handset #1.- Has an alarm- Finally got rid of the annoying and confusing mailbox #1 #2 #3 - Just one mailbox.- Large indicator for new messages- No antennas. Neither on the base, nor on the handset.Cons:- Keypad NOT BACKLIT on the handset. What were they thinking?- No LCD on base. All other manufacturers DO have LCD's, which shows caller ID, missed calls, date, day & time, etc,- Listening to messages using the handset requires you unnecessarily to press MENU, then MESSAGE PLAY, and then SELECT. Also, to see caller ID list, you can't just press a button, as you used to do in older phones, but you must select CALLER ID from the display first.- No "fast talk" feature on message playback. Panasonic used to have it on their phones about 4-5 years ago, and it was terrific. Too bad.- The insert for the additional handset is very flimsy, it's very easy to torn it over and drop it to the floor. Older Panasonics used to be much better and sturdier.- Now a major grip. In this era of cell phones, which features ultra high-resolution LCD, with intuitive menus and nice interface, it's really a shame to see what Panasonic (and most other telephone manufacturers, for that matter) offers. a 1-color, pixelated LCD, with old, dated, pixelated letters. The menu is a pain to use. We would all like to see a MENU/OK button in the middle of the 4-way "launch pad" - similar to most cell phones, cameras, ipods, and other electronics today. The LCD should be bigger (color is not as necessary), much higher resolution. When going into the menu, you should be able to see more than 1 menu at a time - at-least 6 lines. If any of you has a cellphone (who doesn't?) will definitely understand what I'm speaking about. I really hope Panasonic will improve in the near future.