Walkie Talkies Today's supersonic phones let you wander far from your desk.

See the Buyer's Guide Table for product features andprices.

If you're still tied to your desktop phone, it's time tothink about gaining more freedom. Go cordless, and you can get ridof that extra long phone cord you thought would stretch from yourdesk to your stockroom--but doesn't quite reach. Worried aboutstatic and out-of-range problems you've heard plague cordlessphones? Don't fret: The newest models have far-reaching power,pizzazz and zero interference.

Today's 900 MHz digital cordless phones feature a compact,battery-powered handset that's much less cumbersome than lastyear's models. You can carry the handset around or tuck it intoyour pocket while the base remains on your desk.

Telecommunications' new technology buzz-phrase, spreadspectrum (SS), almost guarantees clear transmission andwide-ranging capabilities. Digital technology has been around for afew years in the form of a microchip that sends phone calls incomputer code over the airwaves, also called the radio spectrum.While digital is hot, replacing slower, static-filled analog 46-49MHz models, SS is even hotter. The term means that the radiobandwidth has been broadened and spread over a larger spectrum.Casio PhoneMate calls its Rockwell-developed technology DigitalSpread Spectrum (DSS), while Panasonic dubs it Spread SpectrumTechnology (SST).

Basically, SS seeks a free signal over a far larger area thanstandard digital phones, although both use the same 900 MHzfrequency, or radio band. If a channel is busy, the phone callautomatically hops from one channel to another, in a fraction of asecond, so your call can go through.

With SS, stronger, clearer frequencies mean less interferenceand better voice quality, while wide bandwidths mean you can travelas far as a mile from the base unit. While manufacturers arereluctant to specify exact ranges, they claim that SS phones have arange four to seven times greater than the 300-to-500-foot range ofstandard analog cordless phones. Panasonic and Casio say their SSmodels provide a range of up to 4,000 feet under optimumconditions. Although variables such as steel buildings can affectreception, the 900 MHz frequency is unaffected by computers,microwaves or other electronic equipment.

Another huge advantage of digital SS technology is that itencrypts your voice messages, scrambling them into basiccomputerspeak, which makes it almost impossible for people toeavesdrop on your calls. Most new digital cordless phones includesecurity codes as a standard feature. Casio's CP-850 uses 16million random security codes that change every time the handset isplaced in the cradle.

Having to keep a portable cordless phone handset powered up hasbeen considered a drawback, but batteries have improved greatlyover the past several years. Today, most have a standby life ofseven to 14 days, depending on your usage. To guard against powerloss, some manufacturers supply a battery-recharging unit, eitherbuilt-in or separate, and recommend users keep a spare batterycontinually charged.

There is a great variety of digital SS cordless phones fromwhich to choose, and manufacturers offer full lines, from basicunits to top-of-the-line models loaded with the latest features.Sanyo offers seven different spread spectrum phones. VTechCommunications, which has a 50 percent share of the U.S. market,has 18 900 MHz digital cordless models and two SS versions.

A number of digital cordless phones are space savers withthree-in-one functions: base phone, cordless phone and answeringmachine. SOHO owners who prefer multiple features can check outmodels with two phone lines, built-in answering machines withremote message pickup from the handset, call waiting, caller ID andtwo-way paging. Some have speakerphones built into the base thatallow users to send and receive calls if the handset is elsewhere.Uniden includes a clip on its handset so you can attach it to abelt.

In addition to standard features such as hold and pause buttonsand automatic redial, the latest digital cordless phones are packedwith extra features. These include low-battery warning and a findsignal for when you've lost the handset. Sharp's Call Logeven allows users to scroll through the last 50 incoming callsand then press "send" to call back.

Here's a list of features and their functions on mostdigital SS cordless phones:

*Battery standby life. The length of time the phonehandset can function away from its base before needing to berecharged. Some models require you to turn off the ringer toachieve the maximum standby life.

*Display screen. A screen on which dialed numbers, callerID and other messages are shown.

*Distinctive ring. This ring sounds different from thenormal telephone ring and alerts you to specificcallers you've designated as important.

*Dual battery system. Some phones come with two batteriesand a battery-recharging unit so you'll never run out of power.You can recharge the spare battery while the other one powers thehandset.

*Dual keypad. Some models have a keypad on the handsetand the base unit.

*Find signal. Forgot where you left the handset? Thesignal pages your lost handset from the base unit.

*Flash memory. Indefinitely saves autodial numbers andstored caller ID data in the event of power failure.

*Memory. Electronically lists and saves telephone numbersto a memory bank for speed dialing with a number or a button.

*Two-way paging. Pages the base unit from the handset andvice versa, and serves as an intercom for a remote, two-wayconversation.

A final word: Our chart displays specifications for 900 MHzdigital SS cordless phones, but if you rarelymove more than 300 feet from your desk yet need theflexibility of a remote cordless phone, a standard version such asVTech's VT1930c may be more appropriate for your needs than anSS model.

Jill Amadio is a writer in Newport Beach, California.