AT&T 1909 Corded Phone, White, 1 Handset

Very poorly designed. When you hold the receiver in your right hand, in a way that is natural for the average person, your fingers automatically hit the buttons they inconveniently placed on the outer side of the receiver. I was on the phone and hit the flash button repeatedly even though I was well aware the button was there and was trying to avoid it. You can't avoid it unless you want to put your hand in a very odd position, and get cramps. No kidding. In order to hold the receiver and not hit the flash button you have to cramp up your hand into an odd position and hope you don't drop the phone.

And you cannot place the phone on your shoulder to hold it, if you temporarily need to use both hands for something else. And, for those of us who still use an attachable shoulder cradle (a.k.a. shoulder rest), you cannot attach it to this phone due to the buttons on the outside of the receiver.

I don't want to be mean, but honestly, the person who designed this...Read more

I wish the display was backlit, but I think it's about as good as it can be for this type of display. With the contrast up all the way, it's easy to read in bright light and I keep a little squeeze flashlight next to it for when the light is lower. The reception is very good and it looks attractive on the wall. I would have been happier to pay a lot more for a similar item with backlit display, if one was available. For the price, this one is great, but I do wish the numbers were at least thicker or a little father apart to make reading at a glance easier.

OK, I wouldn't recommend this as an everyday phone. Like most people I prefer the versatility of a cordless. But a corded phone is nice for power failures. I got this one to replace a trim phone from radioshack that just stopped working. All I want the phone to do is sit there and have a dial tone. (Too much to ask of radioshack.) The display on the outside of phone allows you to weed out calls you don't want to answer. As for the grip problems, I suggest holding it with your fingertips; it's a phone- not a banana.