Telephones are one of the most amazing devices ever invented, and we quite frequently take them for granted. We can pick up a telephone, dial a few numbers and be connected with another person just about anywhere in the world

Although corded telephones still have many advantages, such as the battery not going dead in the middle of a conversation, better sound quality, and cost less, cordless communication has grown at an extremely rapid rate in recent years as people discover it's many benefits. With today’s busy life styles it nice to be able to move around as you talk on the telephone and not have to worry about how far the phone cord can go, or getting yourself tangled up in the process.

When purchasing a telephone, we are faced with many choices because of the numerous sophisticated features that are offered on today's telephones. Look through the list of features, listed below to help you decide what features you want your telephone to have.

Memory Dialing (Speed Dialing)

Allow you to set up your telephone to remember and quickly dial important telephone numbers with the push of a button. Telephones vary in the number of telephone numbers it is set up to remember. This can be anywhere from 0 to 100.

Caller ID

Displays the number of the calling party. This can be purchased as a part of the telephone itself or as a separate machine. You must sign up for Caller ID through your telephone company in order for this feature to work.

Last Number Redial

Dials the last number you called with the push of a button.

Multi-Line vs. Single Line

A multi-line telephone is equipped to handle calls from 2 to 4 different lines. Each line will have it's own ring so that you can differentiate between which line the call is coming in on. The single line phone is only able to receive calls from one line.

Touch-Tone Keypad

Automated telephone services require you to use the touch-tone keys on your phone to communicate with them.

Answering Machines

Answering machines answer your telephone calls when you are unable to. The answering machine will give an outgoing message, and then give the caller an opportunity to leave you a message. They can be purchased as part of a telephone or as a separate machine.

Speakerphone

Speakerphones give you the ability to free up your hands for other things as you carry on a conversation, or wait on hold. They also make it possible for everyone in the room to share in the telephone conversation.

Clock Radio

If you have a clock, radio, and telephone in your bedroom, a Clock Radio w/ telephone could help you to free up some of that space. It is three machines in one, taking up the space of only one.

Cordless Phones

A Cordless phone can offer you the same options as above, but there is more then options to consider when purchasing a cordless telephone.

Cordless telephones transmit on frequency bands. Some of the older and less expensive telephones transmit on 43 to 49 MHz frequencies. Now you can get cordless phones that transmit in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies, because the U.S. Government has freed up these higher frequency bands that once were reserved for military use only. The 900 MHz is the most popular high frequency band. The signals transmitted on these higher bands are more energetic resulting in better sound quality and greater range. The 2.4GHz offers even more energetic signals and is less subject to interference. It is thought to be better than the 900 MHz, but this is still under debate. Below are some additional things to consider when purchasing your cordless phone.

Auto Channel Scanning

Automatically scans the available channels and uses the best one.

Backup Power Supply

Some bases provide a space where an extra battery can be stored and charged so that you always have a charged battery available.

Battery Life

How long can the batteries last without recharging? Usually a batter will last from 4 to 7 days or from 2 to 7 hours of continuous talk time.

Easy-Any Key Answering

Allow you to answer the telephone by pushing any button on the handset.

Low Battery Warning

Warns you that you have only a few minutes remaining before the battery goes completely dead.

Page/Find

Enables you to push a button on the base to make the handset ring so that you can find your phone, or carry on a conversation with the person carrying the handset if the base also has speakerphone capability.