Gigaset E560A – Cordless Phone for Seniors with Answering Machine and SOS Key, Brilliant Sound Quality and Volume Amplification - Made in Germany (Platinum, Pack of 1)

High quality construction and works very well. Protective covers on displays were difficult to remove. For basic phone use with messaging, it's easy to set up. Other functions are more complicated. Lovely screen, good range. Made in Germany! Nice big keys but should have a sound acknowledging effective push. Speaker sound is excellent. Battery recharge is quite slow. If it lasts for years I'll love it.

This phone is a complicated technical mess. It has many functions but some of them you may not like or want. It has an emergency function that calls phone numbers that you can program and it can play a prerecorded emergency message that you can record, all with the touch of a single emergency button. Apparently, it can also take it upon itself to call 911 in the middle of the night if there is a telephone line service interruption even if the phone is not programmed to do so! We were awakened to the shock of two officers pounding on the door at 4AM responding to a 911 call we did not manually make or even know about. It was a seriously horrible experience. I returned this phone immediately the next morning. As I said, be forewarned!

Gigaset is a better value at the current price than Clarity. German quality vs. Chinese cheap. (G vs. C.)G pad and control buttons are light and crisp, C takes a heavy pressure, particularly as it ages.G has a better sound quality than C.G has a better warranty.The only issue with G is it takes a while to program for full operation, so if you are grandparents, like ourselves, get some help from your children/grandchildren! G is not like C which is plug & play, but G certainly lots of neat features for a land-line phone.

I set the phone to Eco mode, and though it is not likely at 0% radiation, it feels much better than other phones I have tried. I have heard that Eco mode doesn't work as well in the USA as in Europe, but there is definitely a better feel from this phone, and I'm not finding it too difficult to set it up, as some others have complained about. There are quite a few features to work out. Once you find the menu buttons it is fairly self-explanatory, at least so far. I recommend it....though note that I have only been using it for a 1/2 a day, today. It seems like it will work well for me!(Update on my review) I still believe all of the above, but I removed one star because I don't see a way to retrieve a caller ID list of recent callers. The manual only gives direction on how to see the numbers of missed calls. So, if you answer the phone, the number of the caller will not be stored. That is one disadvantage of this phone, and for me, it is an important advantage to be able to recall numbers of people who recently called. Seems to be missing on this model.

Originally, I purchased the E560A base unit with answering machine. In its favor, Gigaset offers ECO settings to minimize radiation, and the phone looks nicely designed, although making all the settings is a hassle. The base unit has two problems:1. The hands-free speaker in the handset produces poor clarity.2. If you happen to answer or place a call by pushing the speaker on the base unit, that's good sound, but you then can't shift the call by picking up the handset and walking around.Nonetheless, I hoped for better and recently ordered two of the E560H handsets to pair with the base station. Trying to listen to a caller with the small hands-free speaker was tinny at best, scratchy garble at worst. I sent them back for a refund. A few cents more to provide a decent handset speaker would be the answer.

A solid well built and ergonomic German product. Comfortable to hold in hand and against the ear. Good looking modern design with large keys.Not more difficult to set up than similar phones from China or elswhere. Instructions are easy to understand, just follow the printed guide carefully. My first wireless phone was a Uniden, no longer in business, and it wasn't easy to set up.I recommend this product to anyone needing a wireless landline phone.

Re-Review:***Stopped Working the day after return window closed! Heavily promoted as German engineering! Are they still mad at us from WWII? Only one handset can be used at a time! Turned on dialed and immediately returned to Dial Tone! Re-installed previous phones. :(Good product. Remove anti-scratch film before use. A lot of reviews condemn product... If there are options you don't use, don't activate them. phone isn't any harder to program or use than any other product out there. Batteries weren't charging one handset; removed batteries and reinstalled started charging. Additional handsets need to be paired with Base. Hold the page button on Base for 3 seconds and handset will pair. *I wouldn't recommend using ECO option; it decreases battery life." And don't add 911 on a speed dial button. dial it manually, just put in a family member for elderly on (4x speed dial). Unlike the other review that claimed police welfare check at 2 am. lol. P.S. eco mode (anti-radiation mode) decreases range and connection time also...

I assumed that German technology would be superior to other machines I have used. NOPE! I have had a number of answering machines with limited voice recognition. This machine is very limited in its features. It does have good recording of messages. Other wise, it is a disappointment in other features..