VTech I5871 Design Phone

Posted on Mar 5, 07 12:08 AM PDT

I was looking for a new home phone and after stopping at the local Frys, I realized that home phones were just as ugly as when I bought the last one: seven years ago. However, the VTech I5871 (what a horrible name) stood out and after quickly reading the specs, I went for it. It has a sleek design that’s a little inspired by Bang and Olufsen’s TV remote control (no offense, B&O!). I like the aluminum surface with the simple button layout. So, how does it perform?

Phone
he sound quality is good and I like how the buttons feel. The speaker button is very simple to use and efficient. In speaker mode, the volume is loud enough. There’s a USB port to sync with a PC and a jack connector for a headset.

Base
The base looks cheaper than the phone, but it’s still much better than most home telephones. The answering machine is easy to setup with the LCD screen. It’s much more convenient than having to listen to a menu and press the right number. Good job here.

Smartness (or lack of)
The phone has a (washed-out) color screen to display contacts. On the specs, it says “The feature-loaded i5871 also allows you to download your phonebook from Palm or Outlook directly into your handsets”. Sounds great, but in reality you have to export your contacts to a text-file! Secondly, the phone has only room for 100 numbers – what the…? I can get a 1GB SD card for $10 and it’s really weird that a $130 handset can’t hold more than 100 numbers. Even if you had less then 100 numbers in your contacts, each contact has only one number. So entering the home, office and mobile number from someone actually takes 3 contacts – even the most basic cellphone handles more than one number per person.

Expandable
The VTech I5871 can handle up to eight handsets that can be used as intercoms.

Conclusion
The VTech I5871 is a good looking phone but I was quite disappointed by how it manages contacts – it is inferior to the most basic cellphone. If you consider purchasing this phone, just skip the whole marketing pitch that claims that it could have anything to do with outlook. I think that the idea of having a phone telephone that talk to outlook is excellent, if implemented properly.

Product page

Update 5/28: The handset keeps losing its connection to the base, that's kind of annoying.

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Legacy Comments

By Deb , 09/08/07 3:34 PM (CommentID #267243)

I have i5871 for almost a year was a gift. I moved and plugged everything into the new location and I am unable to record a new message for the answering machine. I can reset to factory and it plays but I cannot record. I called the support line and we tried different things and still same issue. Their resolution send it all back for replacement hmmm one thing they need is a receipt in which I don't have. Any suggestions? Anyone have simiilar issues?

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By Coder , 05/05/07 12:29 AM (CommentID #159731)

I just got this phone and must say that it's very pretty, but the PC Sync functions are a huge disappointment.

1. As pointed out, Outlook Sync is text file export. In addition, only one phone number per name is allowed, so the CSV file will need to be heavily massaged en route to the phone transfer software.

2. Caller photos may only be saved as BMP when rescaled, and must be transferred ONE-AT-A-TIME to the handset.

3. Tedious file transfer must be repeated for EACH handset.

4. There is no way to clone data to an additional handset. Caller photos must be paired to phone numbers manually in each one.

5. The customizable ringtone feature only allows an analog recording from the PC's sound card. There is no facility to upload a WAV or MP3 file.

I'm not sure how many caller photos will fit in the phone, as I didn't bother to perform 100 discrete rescaling and file transfer operations on my cell phone JPGs.

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By Brett , 05/04/07 4:29 PM (CommentID #131139)

Any idea if this phone is capable of chain dial (ie can I select contact #1 for a calling card number, contact #2 for the calling card PIN after it has dialed #1, and then call contact #3)?

We have used a calling card for 7 years, get a marvellous rate, and would much prefer to continue using it.

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By Hubert , 09/03/07 11:55 AM (CommentID #114188)

The president is using the same phone in 24, day 6 :)

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By w1s3 m3n , 09/03/07 2:11 AM (CommentID #114017)

hahha lol it s sumfng old y aint buy a digital phne with a Solar cell

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By Mark , 05/03/07 1:11 PM (CommentID #111703)

Ah, now that i read it again i see it.

I happened to be shopping for a wireless home phone too, realizing the same thing: they all appear to be styled in the late 90's.

Not sure if 130 is a good price for a phone with such limited functions, but it sure looks sleek.