Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Motorola DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone with Caller ID, L602M, is a big disappointment. When my Panasonic DECT 6.0 cordless phone died, I decided to try another make, because frankly I was disappointed about how long the Panasonic lasted. So the clear choice (I thought) was the Motorola. After all, I have had nothing but success with Motorola cell phones, and the price here on Amazon was very good. But the L602M has the voice quality of a cell phone, the tiny buttons of a cell phone, the maddening menus of an old cell phone, the poorly-written manual of a cell phone, a very limited phonebook like an old cell phone, etc. So basically, I bought an old cell phone for landline use! The Motorola phonebook can store one phone number for each name; the Panasonic could store at least four numbers (home, office, and two cells). The Motorola phonebook can store only 30 entries, the Panasonic many more (you can set 100 quick-dial numbers). The Motorola has a grand total of 9 quick-dial numbers. To access voice mail on the Panasonic (a blinking light clearly indicated that voice mail was waiting), press one button. To access VM on the Motorola (new mail indicated by a message on the screen), dial your home number or use one of your 9 quick-dial numbers (programmed with your home number). The phone book on handset 1 is completely independent of the phone book on handset 2. This may work well for two cell phones, but it is a terrible idea for two linked handsets on a landline. So I spent my time programming my 30 entries on both handsets. If I decide to change an entry on one, the same thing must be done again on the other. When a call comes in, the number is displayed with 7 digits if the call is from the same area code as our number. But in order to call that number back, I have to press # three times to get the full number to display before I press send (we use 10 digit numbers for all calls). I still have not found a way to ask the phone to always display 10 digits or always dial at least 10. But this points out the flaws with the manual, which is very hard to use. Instead of carefully discussing each operation on this phone and providing an index, the manual starts with a picture of the keyboard, with each key numbered, and then the following pages describe everything that each key does in whatever mode the phone is in (that is actually how I found out that # has the area code display option). Then the manual has a few of the basic operations described in more detail, but by no means all operations. But there was no description that said that in order to make a 10-digit call from redial or missed call lists, one has to use # first before Send. Some reviewers complain when a full manual is only available online. In the case of the L602M, I would welcome a fuller manual online. One final thought: If you want a cell phone without many new features, an old Motorola is pretty close to the best. If you want a cordless landline phone with multiple linked handsets, this Motorola leaves a great deal to be desired. For $20 more you can get a Panasonic DECT 6.0 with Bluetooth link to cell phones. After less than one month of Motorola L602M service, I decided to pack up the Motorola (wasted $40) and get the new Panasonic. Perhaps I'll give the L602M to a "friend."