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Motorola MA550 5.8 GHz Cordless Phone with Caller ID

3.0 3.0 out of 5 stars 5 ratings
Currently unavailable.
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  • 5.8 GHz analog signal
  • Caller ID with call waiting, 40-nam-and-number memory
  • 10 programmable speed dial locations
  • 3-line backlit LCD on handset with trilingual menu prompts
  • Rubberized side grips prevent slipping; 1-year warranty
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Motorola MA550 5.8 GHz Cordless Phone with Caller ID

Motorola MA550 5.8 GHz Cordless Phone with Caller ID

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Product Description

Amazon.com

Motorola's MA550 cordless phone combines a 5.8 GHz analog signal with 40-channel auto-scanning for clear calls and reliable operation. Ready for caller ID with call waiting, the phone stores up to 40 names and numbers of incoming callers. Ten programmable speed dial locations provide quick access to your most frequently dialed numbers.

Basic call features are located in the MA550's handset, including last number redial, mute, and hold. A visual voicemail message-waiting indicator alerts you to new voicemail messages (requires phone company subscription). Additional features include a call timer, audible/visual low battery indicator, and a lighted handset keypad.

The MA550 is headset compatible (not included) and comes with a belt clip. It can be either desk or wall mounted, and provides a rubberized grip on the sides of both base and handset to help prevent slippage and improve durability.

What's in the Box
MA550 handset and base, phone line cord, AC power adapter, rechargeable battery pack, belt clip, user guide, warranty information

Customer reviews

3 out of 5 stars
3 out of 5
5 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

JustJay
1.0 out of 5 stars Bad sound quality
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2005
Everything was fine except when I talked, the person I was talking to heard a humming noise. When I stopped talking, the humming noise stopped. Needless to say I took it back for a refund and bought another brand of phone.

I am sick of products that don't work acceptably!
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Jacob Guttman
2.0 out of 5 stars Phone wont dial normal. Another piece of garbage thrown at us!
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2005
This is a pity. I really thought I finally found a decent phone, and that Motorola made much better then all the known garbage made by ATT, V teck, GE, Southwestern bell, etc.

Until.... After only two weeks the phone could not dial normally. It only recorder the second digit I entered, etc.

So back to Target it went. Instead I brought a PANASONIC 2.4 GHz. I believe Panasonic is the only one out there with pretty decent phones in today's market.

To the credit of this phone I must say, all the other problems mentioned here, like clarity, reception, etc. I DID NOT have with this phone. Though I am happy it turned out so fast what a piece of garbage it is, while still holding on to the receipt!
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AlliumByTheLake
4.0 out of 5 stars Good quality phone
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2005
I needed another phone so I first got a VTech T2416 2.4 GHz phone and then this Motorola MA550 5.8 GHz phone. I have wireless network so my primary reason for trying the MA550 was because of its 5.8 GHz frequency. Both, however, are analog phones. I have a Siemens 2.4 GHz DSS phone but it is a bit of a pain to use because the keys are so easily pressed that I keep on accidentally pushing buttons when I'm just holding the phone or when it's nestled between my head and shoulder (my usual position when I'm talking on the phone unless the phone has a headset jack which this Siemens phone doesn't have).

The Motorola MA550 is a very good phone but there are some features which I wish could have been better or could have been included with this phone. I will go over its advertised features first and then talk about the additional features I liked and what I didn't like.

Advertised features:

* 5.8 GHz technology
* 40 name and number Caller ID memory
* Trilingual text prompts - English, French, Spanish
* Audible and visual low battery alert
* Mute, Hold, and Flash buttons - I love the Mute button. My other phones don't have this.
* 40 Channel Auto scan
* Tone, Pulse, Temporary Tone Dialing
* Call Progress Timer
* 3 Selectable Ring Tones - More ring tones would have been nicer. I liked the musical tone the best because it was less jarring to my ear. I just hate those usual very high pitched ring tones that feel like they're pushing a needle into my ear.
* Caller ID with visual call waiting
* 10-speed dial presets
* Back-lit 3-line LCD display - I love it that the display is ORANGE back-lit. This is my first phone with an orange lighting. My previous/other phones had the usual greenish lighting. The display is so much clearer and distinct with an orange lighting.
* Lighted handset keypad - I love this feature! I don't have to grope for the light switch when I suddenly remember that I have to call someone.
* Phone company voicemail indicator - I'm using VOIP (they have voicemail service provided by default) so this feature is very useful to me.
* Headset compatible
* Wall mountable - My VTech phone is wall mountable but the wall bracket was not included. The manual says I have to call customer service if I want it. It didn't say though if I would have to pay extra for the wall bracket. The Motorala MA550, on the other hand, already includes the wall bracket in the box.
* Belt clip

Other things I like about it:

* I like the look. It's very rugged looking. It looks like one of those mobile phones that came out in the early 90s.
* Small and not very thick.
* Rubber grips on the sides although this is not a very big plus feature for me since I've never had a problem with phones slipping out of my hands.
* Volume adjustment keys on the side. (very convenient)
* Ringer on/off switch on the other side of the phone. Now, this is really convenient. With other cordless phones, I would have to go into "program" mode to do this which means I would be pressing 5 or more keys before I actually will be able to set the ringer off. With the MA550, it's just one easy stroke.

What I don't like about it:

* The battery compartment is larger than the battery. A foam padding was stuck into the compartment though so that the battery would fit more snugly. Nevertheless, the battery still fits loosely in the compartment. In addition, the battery compartment cover is that type that you just clip on. It's not the slide and then click on type. I had to hold on to the battery and make sure the battery cord is tightly wedged on the side before I placed the cover on otherwise there was a gap between the cover and the phone.

Other cordless phones have protrusions in their battery compartments that keep the batteries snug. I think just including a foam padding to compensate for incompatible battery and compartment sizes shows lack of foresight and poor design.

* Base is a bit large because the handset is lying, rather than standing, on it.

* It's not that easy to QUICKLY plug a headset into it. There's a rubber flap that covers the headset port and it's a bit difficult to lift. You'll need fairly long fingernails for this.

* If you want to change a few letters or numbers in a speed dial entry (that you previously saved in memory), you'll have to key in the whole name and phone number again. You can't just scroll through the name and number to change a few characters.

* When you're saving a name/number in memory and you have two characters where you'll have to use the same key (e.g., for encoding A and B, you have to press "2"), you can't just press the scroll key to advance to the next character position. You'll have to press "2" (for A) and then wait 4 or 5 seconds before pressing "2" (for B) again.

* There's no phone directory. I initially thought that the 40 name/number memory referred to a phone directory but it was just the caller ID memory. I thought this was a really cool and convenient feature of my VTech T2416. So now, I have to weigh whether a 5.8GHz feature is much more important to me than having a built-in phone directory.

* There is no option to turn off the keypad tone/beep (like you can with cellphones).

* Ni-Cd battery. Why don't manufacturers just switch to Ni-MH or Li ion batteries in cordless phones? To properly maintain a Ni-Cd battery, you should only charge it (dock it on its base) when the battery charge is almost gone. That's because Ni-Cd batteries suffer from memory effect while Ni-MH and Li ion batteries are less susceptible or not susceptible to memory effect. The ideal way to charge a Ni-Cd battery is to discharge completely/almost completely (Discharging completely ALL THE TIME also diminishes capacity. It's best to cycle the phone every 3 to 5 times.), charge to full (around 12 hours), and then use. The disadvantage though of charging only when the battery has been completely discharged is that when you're using the phone (and it's charge 50% or less) it might just turn off and you're left with an unfinished phone conversation.

Other things I should be commenting about (which means I neither like nor dislike any of these):

* Setting it up was easy and I didn't have difficulty figuring out the keys but then I love gadgets. Getting to play with a new gadget is always fun for me.

* The sound quality is good. There's not a lot of difference in sound quality between my 2.4 GHz and 5.8 Ghz phones. I haven't tried using this one far, far away from my house. That's because I live in a Condo so the farthest I would need to use this is outside my door or in the laundry room one floor below (what pressing need would I have to carry a phone to go to the laundry room for a few minutes?). For the sake of curiosity, I will try using the phone one floor/several floors from my floor. I'll get back to you with my results.

I'm back and having done my laundry and at the same time tested the operating range of this phone, my observation is that the MA550 has shorter operating range than my 2.4 GHz phone. I couldn't use the phone one floor away from my suite but you also have to consider that this building is all concrete-bricks-steel compared to most houses that usually have thin wood walls. This result is not so surprising because, generally, as the frequency of your cordless phone goes higher, the working range gets more limited. This limitation is not a very big thing for me although I'm including this here because some shoppers may be primarily looking for this feature in a cordless phone. The lack of a phone directory is a bigger issue for me (because the people I call frequently change the SIM cards on their cellphones so it's such a bother to always pull out my addressbook or cellphone to find out someone's phone number and key in 14+ digits all the time.) but since having a phone that does not compete with my wireless network is more important than having a phone directory, I would say that this phone is a better deal. I'm keeping my MA550.
6 people found this helpful
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B. Brackman
5.0 out of 5 stars Great basic phone!
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2005
I was recently shopping for a basis, no frills phone. I shopped around around and found that the phone industry is phasing out that type of phone and is concentrating on the phones with answering machines and flooding the market with the expandable phone systems. I went to Best Buy hoping they would have something. No luck until I saw this phone packed in its box on another aisle but not on display. I asked for the price and the employee said $25; on sale because they were getting rid of it to make room for the phone systems previously referred to. I am sooo happy I found this phone! The clarity is crystal clear. The handset is solidly built and carries a little weight, not like other phones that feel as if you can crush them if you sqeeze too hard. It also has rubberized grips on the sids so it doesn't slip out of your hand. The orange lighted display is a lot easier to read than the green or blue ones. If you are looking for a great simple everyday phone (with caller ID) you will not be disapointed with this phone. I would pay twice the amount I did.
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David in Nashville
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good phone for the money
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2005
A few months ago I purchased one of these for one of our server rooms at work and was pleased with both how well it reduced background noise and the operating range. I recently purchased another MA550 for home along with the MA560 which adds a digital answering machine to the base. I'm quite pleased with the performance and quality of both phones.
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