Casio Phonemate TA140 Digital Answering Machine

Amazon.com Review
Why settle for just an answering machine when you can also have caller ID and a speakerphone in the same unit? The Casio TA-140 also offers all-digital recording with permanent memory, voice-guided operation, and two greetings.

To set up the TA-140, we plugged in the AC adapter and connected the phone line. Without consulting the instructions, we correctly recorded the outgoing greeting by pressing Greeting Record, speaking our message, and pressing Greeting Record again to stop recording. We set the clock by pressing Time and then the up and down arrows, and we set the remote code by pressing Code and the up and down arrows. We followed similar steps to set the ringer (the unit has its own ringer) and the number of rings before answering (between two and nine or set to toll saver).

The TA-140 lets you turn the call waiting/caller ID feature on or off. You can also set the TA-140 to immediately answer calls that don't have caller ID information (caller ID-blocked calls) and set the local area code for caller ID. Unfortunately, the TA-140 supports only one local area code, making the auto-dialing feature less useful in cities with multiple area codes.

To test the TA-140, we recorded and played several messages. Its sound quality was good but not excellent, which is typical for most digital answering devices and is usually due to data compression. We especially liked the handy variable-speed playback feature that lets you slow down or speed up messages as you review them. The unit is rated to record for up to 14 minutes, but in our tests we were able to record only 8 minutes and 35 seconds before getting an out-of-memory error. The longest single message we could record was five minutes. The TA-140's memory is permanent until you press the Erase button, so you won't have to worry about losing your messages to power failures.

Overall, we think setting up the TA-140 was easy, especially with the helpful voice prompts to guide us. The speakerphone and caller ID features make it especially desirable.

Pros:

• Easy to set up and use
• Adjustable playback speed
• Functions as speakerphone
• Displays date and time even when there are no new calls

Cons:

• Can't hear your prerecorded greeting unless you call the unit
• Does not permit multiple local area codes
• Recording time is less than 9 minutes

Product Description
Caller ID w/message link, display/dial caller ID, advanced message management, permanent memory protection, remote operation w/voice menu, voice assisted operation, voice time/day stamp, caller ID call block, two greetings, year 2000 compliant

Average customer rating: Totally worth the price Awesome Answering Machine Great value for an answering machine no remote access? Everything you need in an answering machine and more...

Casio Phonemate TA140 Digital Answering Machine Manufacturer: CASIO ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics Telephone Accessories | Accessories & Supplies | Categories | Electronics | Batteries | Caller ID Displays | Cords | Headsets | Phone Cards | Wireless Jack Systems Answering Devices | Telephones | Office Electronics | Categories | Electronics Office Electronics | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics Phones | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics Telephones | Casio | Brands | Electronics Features | Electronics Product Features: Digital answering machine with caller ID/call waiting Answering-machine memory records up to 14 minutes of messages Speakerphone Message link (links recorded message to caller ID information) Voice-assisted operation ASIN: B00000J58K

Amazon.com Review

Why settle for just an answering machine when you can also have caller ID and a speakerphone in the same unit? The Casio TA-140 also offers all-digital recording with permanent memory, voice-guided operation, and two greetings.

To set up the TA-140, we plugged in the AC adapter and connected the phone line. Without consulting the instructions, we correctly recorded the outgoing greeting by pressing Greeting Record, speaking our message, and pressing Greeting Record again to stop recording. We set the clock by pressing Time and then the up and down arrows, and we set the remote code by pressing Code and the up and down arrows. We followed similar steps to set the ringer (the unit has its own ringer) and the number of rings before answering (between two and nine or set to toll saver).

The TA-140 lets you turn the call waiting/caller ID feature on or off. You can also set the TA-140 to immediately answer calls that don't have caller ID information (caller ID-blocked calls) and set the local area code for caller ID. Unfortunately, the TA-140 supports only one local area code, making the auto-dialing feature less useful in cities with multiple area codes.

To test the TA-140, we recorded and played several messages. Its sound quality was good but not excellent, which is typical for most digital answering devices and is usually due to data compression. We especially liked the handy variable-speed playback feature that lets you slow down or speed up messages as you review them. The unit is rated to record for up to 14 minutes, but in our tests we were able to record only 8 minutes and 35 seconds before getting an out-of-memory error. The longest single message we could record was five minutes. The TA-140's memory is permanent until you press the Erase button, so you won't have to worry about losing your messages to power failures.

Overall, we think setting up the TA-140 was easy, especially with the helpful voice prompts to guide us. The speakerphone and caller ID features make it especially desirable.

Pros:

• Easy to set up and use
• Adjustable playback speed
• Functions as speakerphone
• Displays date and time even when there are no new calls

Cons:

• Can't hear your prerecorded greeting unless you call the unit
• Does not permit multiple local area codes
• Recording time is less than 9 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Totally worth the price.......2001-12-03

After my old ten dollar (...) answering machine, I wanted something that did not drop messages, had good sound quality and wasn't too expensive. This is it. I read a lot of reviews saying the voice was tinny but I bought it anyway thinking that was a small compromise for all the features. You know what, the voice isn't tinny. It has timestamps which are good, remote access [...], the option to play messages back faster or slower than normal (which is great for when people leave their phone numbers and you have to hear the whole message again). I haven't used the caller id or switchable answering machine message features. The speakerphone works well and I use it often since I still have my college phone whose battery can't seem to stay charged for more than a few hours--but that's another story. Even shows you the day of the week. Just one thing - if you're erasing the last message, press erase before the message has completed or else it will delete all your messages.

Awesome Answering Machine.......2001-04-07

I purchased this plus an inexpensive cordless to replace my VTech-2960 because, two years after purchase, the VTech turned out to be a costly piece of junk! My kids had this Casio model and were really pleased with all of it's features and its dependability so I decided to get one also. It's great - it has more features than you expect with an answering machine (e.g. Caller ID, remote access, ringer, speakerphone, two outgoing message capability and more) plus it's really easy to program, which is nice for a change! The thing that I like the best though, is the fact that you can program this machine to send the unavailable numbers on incoming calls right to the message center - hasta la vista telemarketeers! No more dashes to answer the phone and then wonder why you bothered. That alone is worthwhile, as far as I'm concerned, but overall I'm very pleased with everything about this answering machine.

Great value for an answering machine.......2000-10-28

The TA-140 is a nice little answering machine. There is a weird flaw in its operational design, which I will describe below, but this is compensated by at least one unique feature that I think is indispensible.

First, the flaw. Although the messages and caller ID log are linked together when you check your messages at home, they otherwise seem to be totally disconnected from each other. Examples: (1) caller ID info has to be deleted separately from the messages; (2) caller ID information can't be accessed when accessing messages remotely; (3) the machine does not even take advantage of the time-and-date info from caller ID to automatically synchronize the clock for the voice time stamps. The caller ID features really could have been better integrated.

But having said that, I must now turn around and point out another caller-ID-related feature that alone is worth the price of the whole machine. Anyone who's used caller ID for any stretch of time will know how telemarketers love to get around anonymous-call-blocking by using phone lines that don't send caller ID information--since the data is "unavailable," the calls are not treated like anonymous calls, so they get through. The TA-140 can be set to answer after the very first ring if it doesn't get a positive caller ID--thus catching both anonymous calls and calls with "unavailable" info, and allowing you to screen them. To me, this feature is an absolute godsend.

As far as all of the usual features one would come to expect from an answering machine, I have no complaints. Calls are picked up reliably, sound quality is good to excellent, and hang-ups rarely if ever cause a blank message to be stored.

Overall, I think this is a good value. More expensive machines might have more logical controls and a less tinny synthesized voice, but it more than adequately does the job.

(Added July 14, 2001: Do not believe the review about lack of remote access. You CAN call in and pick up your messages from this machine remotely, like most modern answering machines.)

no remote access?.......2000-10-15

Without remote access, a longer message recording time (why not a half hour?), and provision for more than one local area code, this seems rather limited and old-fashioned.

Everything you need in an answering machine and more..........2000-10-14

I really like this answering machine. The main reason I bought it was because it has the caller ID / call waiting feature on it. I needed a caller ID box and an answering machine, but didn't want the clutter of having two things on my counter. This unit has it all in one and is half the price of other units that do the same thing. The speakerphone really comes in handy when you are dialing from the caller ID list. There is a check button that lets you check your greeting after you make it. It actually has two out going messages that you can store. It has a ringer on the unit that you can adjust. It also has a hold button. The sound quality was a typical digital sound that was pretty good but not excellent. The only thing that I didn't like was the manual did not come in book form. It came like a folded up map. So refolding it was a pain and finding functions that you wanted to do was also difficult. But that would not deter me from buying this product because it is truly a breeze to set up. Over all I'm really glad I bought this Casio answering machine and would highly recomend it. And the price is certainly very attractive.

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