Pretty But Short On Oomph
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday August 7, 1995
THE Freedom 400 from Telecom Technologies is a beautifully sleek black cordless phone. The unit is packed with all the features found in top-of-the-line models, including a hands-free base unit. Unfortunately, I found it to be a disappointing performer when the range got much over six metres.
The packaging which housed the Freedom 400 upon its arrival was the usual Telecom Technologies high-quality orange and blue affair. Pulling the contents out reveals the base unit, the handset, a plugpac power supply, some tiny nickel cadmium batteries and a manual explaining how things work. The country of manufacture is Malaysia.
I immediately set to work plugging the battery in the compartment at the bottom rear of the handset. A small sticker in the battery compartment informs the user that the battery should be charged for at least 10 hours before using the handset for the first time. It's normal for the nicad battery to be completely discharged when you first take delivery of appliances like this. Next came the line plug which I pinched from another extension. Then came the plugpac to feed the base unit power. At that point the handset was charging according to the light on the front panel of the base unit.
The base unit is beautifully finished in black plastic. There are four LED indicators showing the status of the handset charging, an external call from the handset, an intercom call between the handset and the base unit, and an external call from the base unit. The keypad on the base unit is the usual 12-key phone keypad, along with six control-type keys and two huge speaker-phone and page keys. The handset perches on the left side of the base over the top of the speaker. A mike is mounted on the front edge.
The handset is one of the prettiest I've seen in any telecommunications device. It features a total of 22 keys grouped into the usual 12-key keypad, a control group of six keys and three call control keys to talk, hang up and make an internal call. There are also two LED indicators for when the battery is low and when the unit is in use. The Freedom 400 is probably one of very few cordless phones where the handset keypad lights up, rather like a mobile phone, when there is activity.
Next day I tried to make a call. The Freedom 400 didn't do anything, no lights, no beeps, nothing. I figured I'd better turn the power switch on before going any further. I searched for some time before discovering that the tiny main power switch for the handset was hidden on the bottom side. Flicking the switch to the "on" position and pressing some keys made the unit beep.
In use, I found the Freedom 400 was pretty poor when compared with the Panasonic KX-T3916AL. The poorest area of performance was the range the 400 gave. When A-B testing the two units, I found the Freedom 400 would hiss significantly about three to four metres from the base. Even just moving into the next room produced quite a noticeable hiss. Changing channels with the scan button didn't solve the problem. The Freedom 400 can only scan five channels where the Panasonic can scan 10 channels.
A unique feature found on the Freedom 400 is its call-waiting button. Simply pressing this button performs all the actions required to answer a waiting call when you hear the faint pips.
The Freedom 400 is one the most attractive looking cordless telephones on the market. It has all the functional features you'd expect to find in a unit of this quality. However, based on performance, it comes in a long second to the Panasonic KX-T3916AL. The Freedom 400 has a recommended retail price of $329.
© 1995 Sydney Morning Herald
