WOW, a totally well-rounded cordless phone system.

I'll get right to the point. This system is a fantastic cordless phone system if you are looking for a phone that has a long battery life and excellent voice quality. Of any cordless phone I've ever used, this wins hands down for voice quality. Now some details...

Voice Quality
OK, I've had a ton of cordless phones over the years and nothing out there matches the voice quality of this unit. The only thing better is probably the Bang & Olufson telephone. Honestly, this system sounds better than even standard corded phones. The speaker never distorts, the voice is always crystal clear and there is absolutely no interference (but see below about network interference). Hands down, this is its greatest feature.

Answering System
There are 3 voicemail boxes available and the functions are pretty typical. You can remotely check your messages with a code and use toll-saver for ringers. There aren't any spectacular features here. Unlike Panasonic cordless phone answering machines, you can't check your messages from the handset or control the answering machine from the handset. It's not a big deal though, because you truly have to be really lazy to take advantage of that feature. The only other thing I can say about the answering machine aspect is that the outgoing message quality is good (not muffled), the message reminder is useful (a continuous beep), and the loud speaker works well.

Batteries

The unit comes with a NiMH battery that lasts pretty long (at least a couple of hours). Another nice feature is the extra battery compartment in the base. Although the unit does not come with an extra battery, one can be purchased relatively cheaply online for about $10. You can keep this extra battery charged in the base in case you run out of juice and need to keep talking.

Base Unit
The base is really ideal for keeping in your office on your desk because it has a built-in keypad for making calls and a speakerphone. There is a very clear LCD display that lets you know the status of the extra battery and other features. There is a cool blue light that illuminates when someone is on the phone to let you know the phone is in use. This is a nice touch.

Handset
The handset is styled with some nice touches. The edges are rubberized for enhanced grip, the keypad is backlit with a cool blue light, and the handset is relatively thin and light. The one nice feature the handset has is a speakerphone. I'm not sure if it's full-duplex or not but when I've used it in the past, people had no problems hearing me. Each handset can also have it's own individual ringer (as well as the base)

Expandability
As everyone keeps saying, this system is great on its own but it's not necessarily the most cost efficient if you're looking for an expandable handset system. The extra handsets cost almost as much as the system itself so you may want to think twice if this is your objective. I personally did not purchase an extra handset so I cannot review use of multiple handsets. I can say that the handset's ability to sync-up to the base is pretty painless. You can either have it search for the base or program in the base-ID for quicker negotiation.

Range
I haven't walked outside my apartment to test this but I've never experienced even a hint of interference or loss in connection with this system.

Interference
The one thing I noticed is that this unit does interfere with my 2.4Ghz WiFi network. If I'm doing a transfer from my TiVo and I use my phone, the transfer gets interrupted. Sometimes I even have to reboot my TiVo to get it working again. So, even though it's 5.8Ghz, there is some interferene with home networks.

All in all, this is an excellent system for the money. I bought mine with a rebate while it was on sale at amazon.com so you should consider looking there first.