Answering Machines: Reviews

Updated November 2007

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Best answering machine

This GE unit, according to reviews, is the best choice if you want good voice quality, four separate mailboxes and a long, 40 minute recording time. The GE has a voice time/day stamp, an LED light which displays a number… of messages, a scan feature which allows you to play the first five seconds of a message (helpful for finding the message you want in a crowded mailbox) and a battery backup so you don't lose messages in a power outage. Reviewers find that the GE gets better scores than most for voice quality.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Amazon.com: About 100 owner reviews give the GE 29869GE2 average scores overall, about half scoring it three stars or fewer out of five. The ...

Epinions.com: About 10 owner reviews give the GE 29869GE2 good average scores. Some say they couldn't get the GE 29861GE2 to work with DSL, but ...

Buy.com: About ten owner reviews give the GE 29869GE2 very good average scores, and the few complaints are varied. One user writes, "My ...

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for $49.89

Basic answering machine

AT&T 1722

*Est. $17 Compare Prices

The inexpensive AT&T 1722 has 19 minutes of recording -- shorter than that of the GE 29869GE2. But the AT&T answering machine does have power-outage protection so you don't lose messages. This model also has remote access… (for getting your messages on the road), audible message alerts and a time/day stamp. You can also review messages in various speeds, useful for skipping through old messages or retrieving a number. You don't get two-way recording or caller ID display, and according to some reviews, voice quality isn't always good, but the low price is a plus.