Review on 📞 AT&T (1740WH) Digital Answering System with Date and Time Stamp, in White by Matthew Frandsen

Annnd. . . we have a winner! After a lightning strike ignited my trusty old AT&T 1725, which ended 10 years of service, I had to replace it. While this AT&T 1740 seemed like a better option to me, and was even cheaper than the older model, it underperforms on several counts: confusion in this era of declining semiconductor production costs; maybe it's because of cheaper converters. I wonder how much that saved the creators? 2. Corporate bean counters also skimped on the knobs and slide switches that made the 1725 so user-friendly (not to mention making it easier for hearing or visually impaired users). Instead, almost all setup variables are accessed via the voice menu with a single "setup" button. I am annoyed at how few pennies could be saved here due to the significant complication of the surgeries. 3. (Four) multiple mailboxes are gone, so any messages you want to keep are stacked in a queue (and need to be accessed sequentially). 4. As others have pointed out, even if you turn the speaker volume to 0, incoming messages will always be heard through the speaker broadcasting your store. 5. What's worse: a machine with volatile clock memory (old 1725) or a machine with a non-volatile clock memory running software that _thinks_ it has volatile memory (it's 1740)? A power outage (tested for 10 seconds) will result in the device endlessly asking you to reset the clock with EVERY recorded message you hear, and the user manual confirms this. However, the time declared by the machine remains current, as do the timestamps on messages written later. The only way to quell the whining is with a seemingly free clock reset. Instead of the $12 I paid for an AT&T 1740, I'd happily pay twice as much for another 1725 if they were still available. It's hard to believe that the 1725, with its design and development costs already amortized, couldn't compete against this dumbfounded offspring, this bastard offspring of a short-sighted and selfish corporate culture. If this sounds melodramatic or overly punishing, consider that this isn't just a product that didn't raise the bar, it's a significant downgrade from the older model that set the bar, and to a level where the 1740 not enough . To be honest I can't single out any improvement other than maybe the manufacturer's bottom line.