7.1.2013

My better half dropped our Skype phone in a sink full of water, so we had to buy a new one!But the old one (the earlier version of this) had problems even before my wife drowned it - the ringer had stopped working when it was only about 15 months old (if you read the reviews you'll find this is a very common problem). We couldn't return it as we bought it directly from Skype and it appears to be impossible to engage in any sort of dialogue with Skype. Hopefully they've sorted out the ringer problem, but if this one starts to play up it's going straight back - and the stars on this review are going down to 1!The phone itself is quite an improvement on the first model.It is lighter and sleeker (and no longer has that odd 'belt clip') and, most importantly, it has 'normal' buttons, not the awful rubber ones the previous model has. It also appears to have a much better sound quality, and we have been able to have problem free calls with people who used to not be able to hear us half the time. With Skype you never know if call quality is the phone or the connection, so this might have nothing to do with the phone at all, but it does seem to be fairly consistently better. It's also very easy to set up, and, much to my surprise, we didn't have to re-enter the landline numbers we had stored in the old phone.But, as well as making some very necessary improvements, the designers have also made a couple of changes for the worse - hence the loss of one star. Rather oddly, the screen is smaller than on the earlier model. It's only slightly smaller, but, as the screen on the previous model was too small, I would have expected a much bigger one on the new version. Given the size of screens we're used to on mobile phones these days, the decision to use such a tiny screen is really odd. And it IS tiny - I have to wear my reading glasses just to make a phone call!The other backwards step is the charger base. They've redesigned this completely (why? the old one was fine) and cocked it up completely. First, the phone doesn't fit snuggly into the base, it just sort of wobbles about in it, so you've no idea if it's 'home' properly, and secondly, they've taken away the LED that used to tell you the phone was charging! So now you have no idea if the phone is inserted properly and charging - the only way to tell is to check the microscopic charging icon on the TINY screen. And you can only do that for a few seconds before the screen goes blank. (And, by the way, they've redesigned the bottom of the phone, so you can't just pop it into the old base!)They've obviously carried out a production cost audit and listened to the idiot who did it ("LED - no one needs that and no one will notice it's gone, let's save 2p a phone and get rid of it").Given all the problems with the earlier version, this was a golden opportunity to redesign this phone and make it really fit for purpose. It's such a pity that they didn't take that opportunity fully. Especially as this is the only real 'option' for a Skype phone. If there were other (and hopefully better) Skype phones on the market, I'd have given this one 1 star and the review would be entitled "Don't buy it". But as it is, you don't really get a choice, so I've given it four stars for trying.

6.12.2014

This our second purchase of an RTX Dualphone. Our first model was the earlier 3088 model. Unfortunately I accidentally killed it I think ...by dropping it ...more than once >>>> shhh ...don't tell her indoors!The new 4088 model works a treat. We ordered the white version ...very smart! Shame they didn't make the screen a tad bigger, but otherwise it absolutely does the job. I've read a few reviews that suggest it might be easy to knock it out of the cradle. I can't see this as likely during normal use. Sits in there quite well and even jiggling it about still shows it as charging. So I'd ignore the 'poor cradle' comments generally.By the way, we ditched our normal land-line a couple of years ago in favour of a Skype 'Land-line'

27.9.2013

I am a seasoned user of Skype phones, having used them pretty regularly for 10 years or so.I came to the 4088 reluctantly. I had used the 3088 for quite a few years, and ground my teeth every time I had to fork out for a replacement handset due to the faulty ringer. The rubbery keys didn't add to my enjoyment either.So I decided to give the Philips VOIP8551B a try. See my product review if you;'re interested; suffice it to say, this was a turkey!Then I came round to the 4088. This phone does the job better than well. Okay, so the charging cradle is wobbly, the screen is small, and the setup takes a bit of patience. But I have been using this phone for 6 months now and it does the job.

11.3.2016

I have been using these for years. I had two in use and have just received another extra handset from Amazon. My previous ones were purchased directly from Chat & Vision. The ones from Chat & Vision at the time were supplied with Euro plugs and not the 3 pin UK type. I bought them shortly after they were first introduced to the UK. The new one from Amazon came with a plug that has a number of fittings including 3 pin UK type. I am generally very pleased with these phones. They are very compact and light and have a built in speaker phone. A bright blue light on the top of the phone remains flashing to tell you that you have missed a call etc. If you cancel it on one phone, it is cancelled on all.

28.9.2015

I have it for a month now.Good:- very easy to install- high quality of the sound- loud enough speaker and very sensitive microphone- you do not need a PC- freedom of movement during conversationNot Good:- you have to replace batteries that are supplied with the phone (I am using the 4th generation of the Panasonic Eneloop AAA from Amazon)- no support from the manufactures. My phone always shows charging when it on a base. Is it a bug or feature? Company did not answer me. Also documentation did not clarify it.Conclusion:I am very happy with purchase. Also Amazon gives me confidence if something goes wrong - I will not loose my money. So,

7.11.2014

For those have issues with the handsets not connecting to the base station - check that your base station is connected by Ethernet cable to the back of your router and not connected via a (additional) networked switch connected to your router.After weeks I have got mine working again having swapped the base station Ethernet connection ages ago and a later issue arising whereby the handsets would not remain on line after any number of handset and base station resets. When other things work from your switch and you try the base station on different ports on your switch, connecting the base station to my router wasn't the first thing that came to mind after reading other peoples connection problems

15.2.2015

I'm pleased with this 'phone. It has been working fine for me. I decided, based on earlier reviews, to avoid any potential battery problems by charging up two high capacity ones I already had, prior to receiving the 'phone and I used them instead of the ones supplied. So no problems there. The only fairly minor points I would make are that the display is a tad small but the bright colour display actually makes up for that - the 'phone itself is surprisingly small, by todays standards. Also, there is no quick way to silence the ringer. Normally 'phones have a dedicated button for this, but with the Dualphone you have to make your way through the various options to get to the appropriate setting.

5.11.2014

Love this, and for me it has worked like a charm. As previous reviewers have mentioned, you will need to get additional rechargeable batteries as the ones provided are completely inadequate. The screen is a little small and would benefit from being a bit bigger. Apart from these 2 niggles, the phone is working as expected and it's great to be able to choose between using the landline and SkypeOut. We have been using SkypeOut as the default calling option and it's saving us money already, we've not used the landline for any calling out, other than receiving calls. It was easy to setup and the call quality is great.If you understand the niggles, then you'll have no problem with this.

17.4.2016

I have only had this a few days and it was confusing to start with, but now it is installed and working fine with both landline and Skype connection. It was confusing when there were no instructions, but I went to the website and had a clear PDF download in english. When Skype wouldn't connect the call I searched the internet again and found the answer. Even though I had bought a Skype monthly subscription for £4.99 pm it didnt show up as credit on the handset. The phone comes with a Skype credit voucher. Use that, then credit shows on the phone and the whole thing worked. The credit doesn't go down because of the subscription, but it does have to be there..even just a small amount.

21.7.2016

Bought to replace our 3088 system, which we had been using for many years but the handsets were now having button problems and the multitude of Skype-based problems (Google it or look on Skype community) had decided the 3088's fate.However, it does have an annoying 'feature' that the 3088 didn't have, it requires setting up with your Skype account on every handset (3088 once set up on 1 phone is ready for use).Apart from that one niggle, seems to work exactly the same as the 3088 did before Microsoft started 'playing' with the Skype that we all new and loved. Range is good and call quality excellent, even through the reinforced concrete frame of our home in Greece.

18.10.2014

Call quality is great and it seems to work well, with only a minor issue once whereby it didn't ring on incoming calls. Logging out and logging back in again (on the phone) solved that problem.The only other thing to note is that the supplied rechargeable batteries are utter crap and have had to be replaced. Wasn't worth the hassle of sending the whole thing back for that though (and any replacement would likely have the same cheap and nasty batteries). So if you're buying this, you may want to add a 2 x AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries to your order.All in all, a good way to have a dedicated business number without paying out for a second phone line.

1.3.2013

Regard less of all the negative feedback i have read on this phone i decided. to go ahead and try it for myself. and cant fault it. works great for landline skype calls and easy to setup.All your skype contacts are stored on the device and can easily switch between landline and skype calls also shows if an incoming call is recieved on the landline or skype. number.phone also updates itself to the latest firmware. Also had free skype credit with the phoneGoes to show never judge a book by its cover.

17.9.2013

I bought this because i got fed up of having to turn on the computer, and I am very pleased I did.Set up was very straight forward even though the instructions could be better. One small thing when setting up, if you are using ADSL internet connection you will need to get a splitter for your phone line plug in the wall. I am using this phone in Spain and it connected to Telefonica land line with no problem. Calls are very clear and there is no lag, so it really does do what it says on the box.

3.5.2014

I bought this handset with an additional handset, I am really pleased with the purchase. Quality is good for VoIP however it will always only be as good as any normal Skype call, meaning there could be slight delays. All this is due to many factors of your internet connection, remote Skype user connection speed and distance of calls. I often make calls to South America and Scandinavia without any problems.I am really happy to have bought these as it saves me a lot of money.

10.10.2013

The only problem with this phone is occassionally I will get unwanted Skype calls from people I don't know at all hours of the night. Or from people I do know who don't know where in the world I am, so they call in the middle of the night. But that is not a problem with the phone.It could do with a lighted keyboard. Answering the phone in the dark is a challenge, because one cannot see which button to press.

RTX Telecom Dual Phone 4088 - Reviews

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