Home > Consumer Reviews > GE 2.4 GHz 27980GE3 Cordless Bedroom Phone with AM/FM Stereo and Call Waiting Caller ID

This is a great little alarm clock/cordless phone unit. The display is large and easy to read. There are three different brightness levels, so the display is easy to read during the day, but can be dimmed so it doesn't prevent you from falling asleep when the lights are off. When the phone rings, the caller's name and number are displayed both on the cordless handset and the base unit. If another phone is in use somewhere in the house, the base unit displays 'Line In Use', which is also nice. The ringer can also be turned off. Setting the alarm and time are not intuitive- you'll have to crack open the manual to learn how to do this, but it's pretty straightforward once you've learned which button combinations to push. Two independent alarms can be set- one can be set to 'buzzer', and the other can be set to 'radio'. One nice feature is that the unit allows you to preset the radio alarm volume independently of the volume when the radio is turned on manually. Alarm length can also be set. The design is aesthetically pleasing- when the phone is placed in the charging cradle on top of the phone, it all appears as one, nice unit, albeit a bit large. There are jacks on the side for connecting an external audio source, as well as headphones. Overall, a highly recommended addition to your nightstand, but be prepared to give up some valuable real estate to accomodate this unit.

It is a great idea to combine all these functions to minimize space occupied on the bedside table, but no designers seem to have tested the ergonomics of LCDs in these devices.

We have sought a telephone clock radio since our last one died. We have bought and returned three, including one GE, because LCDs are generally a terrible design choice in this type of device. If brightness is high enough to read the time in a dark room then it will keep you awake, but if it is dim enough for comfortable sleep then there is not enough contrast to read the time when you awake in the middle of the night.

Yes, LCDs allow all sorts of information about bell and whistle 'features', but LED displays do not have the contrast problem.

We still are looking for a reasonable replacement.

over priced, but nice looking.

The ring tones for the phone are annoying, 3 that are basically the same annoying tone in different speeds. The alarm lights is bright, you can tone it down but, well I like the brightness so thats a plus for me.

It looks nice, but once again its sort of over priced for what it is. The phone is not very clear and I find myself saying "what?" alot, but, its not unusable, its just not very clear.

Brilliant. I love using the caller ID to sync time with the phone company (Atomic time accuracy). The alarm can be set to use any of the radio presets or a buzzer. The description is misleading: each alarm can be set to use the radio (and on separate stations). The audio is decent on both the radio and the handset.

I love the look of this phone and it doesn't take up too much space on my desk- that is about the only nice thing about it.

-The phone ring sounds more like an alarm going off than a phone ringing. Although you can turn the ring off, if you forget it's VERY disturbing if you are napping and the phone rings. You will jump a few feet off of your bed if this happens.

-Setting the alarm is not easy at first, but once you get the idea its fine... BUT Do NOT get this phone if you have another person sleeping in the same room/bed as you who plans on staying asleep after you wake up. Reason being the buttons on the clock beep very loudly when turning off the alarm, and there is now way to silence them. So if the alarm itself doesn't wake your partner up, you turning the alarm off certainly will!

-It is a nice feature that you can turn the brightness down, but on the lowest setting the display is almost impossible to read.

-I bought this phone after searching and searching for a cordless phone with an alarm clock included. (They are hard to find) I found this one and it looked like everything I wanted. It worked well for about a month (long enough for me to say it is fine and throw away the packaging) and then it stopped making calls. The phone appears to not register I am pushing the buttons. I can only answer incoming calls. So it is pretty useless as a phone. Then a month or so after that the buttons that control the alarm clock functions stopped working as well so now it is useless as an alarm clock too. Unfortunately since I tossed the box and receipt I can't return this piece of junk.

Just a lesson to everyone don't throw out the packaging until you are absolutely sure the product is worth keeping
This one is not.