One of the important things to do with cordless phones is to keep them charged. How the handset lets you know it’s time to charge depends on the brand and model, and whether it has a display.
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The 2024 Panasonic KX-TGU series cordless phones introduce a new button between the soft keys on the handset: the favorites key. This button allows you to quickly access up to 3 of your favorite contacts for easy dialing or seeing the last time they called.
I ordered my 2024 Panasonic KX-TGU432 cordless phone in black on 5/18/24 and it came on 5/20/24. One of the first things I tried was registering the KX-TGUA40 handset to my KX-TGF970 base to see if it supported the base Bluetooth features, and it does! This handset also has key detector support despite the KX-TGU series bases lacking support and the key detector seemingly being discontinued.
Vtech and AT&T have updated several older models with Bluetooth cell phonebook transfer support and others with Bluetooth headset support. On 4/8/24, an FCC ID listing was posted for an updated version of the AT&T CL82xx5, which adds the "granular control" version of Smart Call Blocker and Bluetooth cell phonebook transfer support. Except...
Even though the FCC ID listing for the KX-TGU430 series says the manual and other info for this model won’t be available until July 2024, the manual has been published to Panasonic’s manuals database months earlier than expected!
Based on FCC IDs ACJ96NKX-TGU430 and ACJ96NKX-TGUA40 which were listed on fccid.io on 1/24/24, Panasonic is back for 2024 with what appears to be an amplified, senior-friendly cordless phone with call blocking. Easily mistakable for Gigaset's amplified models like the E290A, this model gives us a hint at what Panasonic will be using for model numbers going forward.
I've seen quite a few reviews for cordless phones saying the answering system doesn't work, answers before the set number of rings, says there are no messages even though there are messages, or is full when it's not. These issues are likely because you have voicemail from your phone company and it's taking priority over your answering system. This is one of the reasons why it's very important to understand the difference between an answering system and phone company voicemail.
Have you attempted to use the handset while it's supplying power to the base (available on select models), only to have the handset lose the link to the base? Why does slight movement of the handset placed on the base (e.g. jiggling) affect power backup but not charging?
Panasonic has released the KX-TGD810 series cordless phone, which is the first non-answering system model with Automated Call Block.
Cell2Jack is a cool device which pairs to your cell phone via Bluetooth to allow you to use any landline phone with your cell phone. There are many settings you can change either via the Mac/Windows utility or via dialing codes on the landline phone. There are also 2 lights on the front. Let's take a look at what each code does and what each light color/pattern means.
Panasonic introduced Automated Call Block in 2018, and with it, what I call a "compatibility reset", in which Automated Call Block models don't support non-Automated Call Block handsets and vice versa. There appears to be a KX-TGD810 series on the way, which is going to be a non-answering system version of the 2021 KX-TGD830 series. Best Buy's KX-TGDA83 handset listing also mentions the KX-TGD810 series.
Amazon Vine Voice is a group of Amazon customers who leave positive reviews and are invited to receive newly-released products for free to provide their first impressions, almost like when tech journalists receive new products from Apple or Microsoft. A few of these customers have started to receive the new models for review. The Panasonic KX-TGFA97 in black is also now listed on Amazon.
COVID has led to most people shopping online rather than in stores. Without the physical constraints of store shelves, Panasonic, Vtech, AT&T, and all the other landline phone manufacturers can easily keep older models around without filling up shelves in a store.
The Panasonic KX-TGDA99 Bluetooth handset can pair with up to 4 Bluetooth audio devices, which can be used on not only landline or intercom calls, but also cell calls if you register the handset to a Bluetooth base such as the KX-TGF970 series. While you might think that's pointless, since you could simply pair the audio device to the cell phone directly, there's still a use case for it.
Most new cordless phone features require changes to both the handset and base. This means if you just purchased a new cordless phone and a new model comes out, you'll end up missing out on the new features. But you don't have to!
You might not often think about it, but if your cordless phone has an answering system or any other feature which can automatically place or answer calls, and respond to numbers dialed by callers, it has one or more automated systems. Most people, when they think of automated phone systems, think of phone company voicemail or the automated messages doctor's offices play to their patients when they're called.
Panasonic has made black-with-silver-edges versions of the KX-TGF970 series available on Amazon: KX-TGF973B (3 handsets) and KX-TGF975B (5 handsets). This isn't the first time a model is available in more than one color, but it's uncommon. The KX-TGF940 series has also been released 2 years too late, which is an all-black, non-Bluetooth KX-TGF970 series.
An FCC ID listing for a new Vtech cordless phone was posted on FCCID.io on 3/30/23. Taking a look at the photos and (very rough) manual, we know this listing is for the IS9141 series, which is a 2-line Bluetooth corded/cordless phone with Smart Call Blocker and a color display on the base.
Corded/cordless phones, as well as some cordless-only models, have menus on the base in addition to the handset. Most brands include most of the options found in the handset's menu in the base's menu, such as sound settings, dial mode, and answering system settings. However, not all Panasonic base menus are this way, with some lacking several options you would expect them to have.
There are several devices, such as the Cell2Jack and Xlink, which allow you to make and receive cell phone calls on your landline phones, just as if they were connected to an analog or VoIP line. However, due to the way some cell phones and networks are designed, you may not be able to use every feature of your phone when using your cell phone as the line source.
Panasonic has seemingly abandoned designer cordless phones in the US, but they can be greatly improved if they were to come back.
In 2013, Panasonic introduced the Premium Design series of cordless phones, which featured color displays, diamond-cut keys, and more. However, this series was discontinued after a few years. I wish they would bring it back!
Panasonic, Vtech, and AT&T are the 3 main manufacturers of cordless phones today. If you're buying a new cordless phone, I would stay away from Vtech/AT&T, as they have a serious software quality problem.
Some aspects of the Panasonic KX-TGDA99 handset hint at possible changes for future models starting in 2023.
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TechWithTylerI love technology and landline phones. I've loved landline phones ever since I was little, and have lots of them in my room. |