Tethered between the leash of a standard telephone and the expensive freedom of a cellular is the cordless phone. You can't wander the world with it, but at least you can wander around your house.
The latest things in cordless are units based on a higher frequency - 900 MHz if you must know - that allow for clearer reception, less interference, and a longer range.
Of course it'll cost you: about $400, compared to $150 for the old (46- MHz) technology. There are a variety of choices in 900-MHz phones - some use analog schemes while others digitize the conversation. I recommend the newest generation of digital models such as the Epic Code-a-Phone 9050 - they seem to have a longer range and bits are harder to eavesdrop on with a spectrum scanner.
I tested some samples from each category. In an earthquake-reinforced San Francisco building, the Panasonic KXT-3860 46 MHz died 100 feet after I turned a corner from my office. The 900-MHz, analog Panasonic KXT-9000 worked a floor or two away, and the digital Code-a-Phone worked half a block away. Try out the 900-MHz phones, but buy from a store with no-questions-asked returns and test it right away. Then give me a call. I'll be on the deck.
ATT 9530: $450. ATT: (800) 222 3111; fax: +1 (314) 891 7880.
Code-a-Phone 9050: $599. Epic: +1 (503) 650 4357.
Panasonic KXT-3860: $169.95; KXT-9000: $399.95; KXT-9220: $499.
Panasonic: +1 (201) 348 9090.
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