AT&T CL4940 1-Handset Landline Telephone

• Extra-Large Tilt Display
• Audio Assist
• Up to 25 Minutes of Digital Recording Time
• Caller ID/Call Waiting
• Backlit Display

I purchased my AT&T CL4940 locally because I needed a that-day replacement for a long-time-in-service Nortel.

I'm writing this review based on initial quality as I have only owned the phone for 24 hours. Thus far I am impressed by:

1. Sound quality through both the handset and speaker. This is adjustable with a 4 setting equalizer, I'm using the default 'Natural' setting, there are two treble boost settings and one bass boost setting available.

2. Volume available through both handset and speaker is individually adjustable and can be made very loud on the highest settings.

3. Answering machine ease of operation.

4. Total message+announcement recording time of 25 minutes -these days that's good, many answering machines have less than 15 minutes of audio storage. 60 minutes is still the target amount for manufacturers in my opinion -the problem is that like most answering machines, this one will stop taking messages once the memory is full -and a busy business day or some political robocalls can fill things up pretty fast and shut the system down.

5. Good human interface -big buttons, readable and backlit display, clealy labled control buttons -you do still need to look at the manual just a bit to see how the menu and control system is set up but it's about as simple as it can be made, IMO.

The one disadvantage is the index in the user manual which has way too few entries -I downloaded the .pdf version of the manual just to search for info on the 'equalizer' (it can only be set while you are listening to something) -and how to reset the 'missed calls' counter (press and hold the CANCEL button). Other than the lack of a complete index, the user manual is clear and explanatory.

At the time of this review there are two 2-rated reviews. The one mentioning the need for a DSL filter if you have DSL service applies to most phones and fax machines. Although I did not try the included wall mounting bracket, looking at it I would agree that this phone is not well suited for wall mounting -I don't know of any larger desktop type phones that include an answering machine that are.

Overall I give this phone high marks for design, execution, and value, with durability being the unknown factor.

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The AT&T CL4940 is a single-line speakerphone with answering machine functions and caller ID, which makes it one of many similar phones crowding the market.

What sets this phone apart is the large, backlit, tiltable display. Why every landline phone doesn't have a display this nice is beyond me. Most everything else about the phone is typical, but it does add further functions to help those of us who are growing older:

* A large keypad for easy dialing

* A four-setting equalizer function to tweak sound

* "Audio Assist" to temporarily boost receiver volume

* Relatively intuitive functions that can be set up easily

That said, one of the failings of this phone is that--for all its audio-altering capabilities--it does not have a rich sound compared to a cheaper AT&T phone I used to own. This seems odd given this phone's equalizer and Audio Assist functions, but the duller sound quality is obvious in comparison. Another quirk is the dial-back feature; there seems to be no way to program it to add a "1" automatically when dialing outside a set of local area codes, reducing the function's usefulness.

If all those sound bells and whistles had worked as advertised, this could have been a five-star phone. As it is, it's okay, but that still makes it better than many phones out there. And did I mention how great the display is?

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I bought this phone to replace an AT&T CL4939 which failed just three months after the warranty expired. While the phone has many nice features, when I hooked it up, the phone would not ring when a call came in. It took two different techs at AT&T customer service to figure out that I needed to upgrade my phone line to a digital signal box. This was nowhere disclosed either on the box or in the owner's manual. It should be. So, before you buy this phone, make sure you have the correct line coming into your system.

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The phone is well designed, except for one major flaw, which I discuss later. The basic controls are easy to use. It has some clever features, like the redial format selection, which allows one to select the format the phone uses to redial a number from the phone log. After selecting a number from the caller ID lot, you can select whether the phone dials seven digits, 10 digits, or 10 digits preceded by 1. The major flaw goes to the heart of the product, the large display. It is large. It is not backlit. An LCD display that is not backlit appears black on gray. It can be read only with strong direct light on it. It is all well and good to see the new message light blinking, but I wish I could glance into the kitchen as I pass and read the text display of how many calls I'd missed, or be able to review the caller ID log without turning on the brightest light in the room. While I'm at it, it is grossly misleading to market this phone with a picture of a backlit display. That is not what the phone looks like when installed.

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I really like this phone so far. I like that the display sets up at an angle. Love the big buttons. People hear me clearly. I like when someone calls and leaves a message, you can actually hear them leave you the message and can pick up if you want too. .

The only complaint is when you have to record a greeting. You have to do it through the speaker part of the phone which makes you sound muddled.

I haven't tried some of the advance functions, so I can't give a review on those as of yet.

Edit: February 19, 2013. I've had this phone for 2 months. At first I loooved this phone. However, after month one, I noticed static on some of my calls. On the two month mark the speaker phone no longer works. Also, the date and time someone calls you and leaves a message is never correct.

This is a huge disappointment. I originally gave this a 5 star. Now, I'm downgrading it too 2 star. This is not quality.

Edit: February 19, 2013. Well, later today my phone just went bezerk! Any button I pushed on the phone whether it was a number or delete button, or anything, showed up on the display as a "6" and made a long beep. So, I could not longer dial out. I tried turning it off by un-hooking everything and turning it back on. Again, it wouldn't allow me to dial anything but the number "6" with a long beep sound. Any button I pushed whether it was 1, 3, 9, delete, mute, etc ALWAYS showed up on the display as the number "6" and made a long beeping sound. I really loved this phone until today. I have no idea as to why it would malfunction the way it did.

Contact Amazon and PURCHASE a warranty. That's what I should have done. You can't return it after thirty days.

I've downgraded this to a 1 star.