It works just fine. Voice quality is OK, and the machine is relatively easy to use. The best part is that it has an audible alert that there are messages waiting; this is important to me since the machine is in the office. The audible alert is also the worst thing...it is really not very loud at all; easy to miss.The visual alert of message waiting is also pretty good; it flashes when there is a new message and is on steady if there are old messages that you have heard. (It's off when there are no messages stored).Interestingly, it uses flash memory for everything so no battery backup is needed. Of course that means the clock goes on a power failure. I think the clock freezes at the time of the failure but I'm not sure about that. There is a warning on the display that tells you the clock needs to be reset.Caller ID is supposed to reset the clock but the instructions are a bit ambiguous. They imply that it keeps the clock synchronized once you set it, but says nothing about resetting after a power failure. I have not done that experiment yet...Later (Oct 08): Yes, a call with caller ID sets the clock after a power failure.

I purchased this recorder about a month ago. The meny, set-up etc is great. it also comes with some pre recorded messages you can use. However, as I did, making my own message was not good. The sound quality of the recording was terrible. I ended up using my 15 year old answering machine. It did a much better job.

For the many years I have had an answering machine, it has always been AT&T. Even though some of the reviews for this machine were not great, the price was certainly good. Since the others all seemed to have drawbacks as well, I figured I couldn't go wrong with AT&T. What a mistake! The sound is worse than I've ever experienced with an answering machine. Many who have left messages, have asked if my machine is broken. My advice, spend a few more bucks and get a machine that is not as annoying.

I fully agree with Jack Berry's detailed review. Here's a quick supplement to what was not focused on.I choose the 1738 not because it was AT&T but because after so many years, nearly all AMs, regardless of brand, had the same features; they differ mostly in recording time and a need for battery backup. Sound quality has risen to be equal to low quality cassette tape no matter what AM I auditioned in people's homes. Should I need to archive a phone message, I could easily digitize it by recording playback on my iPod clone.In 2006, the 1738 is one of the cheapest AMs for price with a 40 min recording time. RAM and flash memory prices are very cheap, so all digital machines reflect this low cost. However, I was skeptical by the mixed reviews posted by many readers given my experience with no-name brand AM. If AMs were all the same, how can AT&T be worse, and for $17, it was low risk test given it cost as much as a list-price music CD.Maybe AT&T has improved this model to correct negative reviews or there is a large variation in production quality for this model. I was quite surprised; the 1738 is a superb AM. The recorded in and outgoing message was as good as a tape machine. There is a catch: the microphone of the unit is poor quality, and one can make high quality outgoing messages by calling your home, say from a cell phone, and recording your outgoing message using the remote feature; or use the `default' machine generated message. You can use the built in mic, say for the 1738's memo feature, but with far less quality. Despite no battery backup, messages are retained when the unit is unplugged.What I love about digital machines is the capacity to delete messages mid-playback, delete the middle of queued messages while saving other messages, fast and slow play without the `chipmunk' effect, and voice-mail quick response to remote control features. The 1738 #5 button on the remote is a HELP, and will read out what all the control buttons do, so you needn't carry a reminder card to operate the remote. I only wish AT&T followed the voice-mail control keys of popular systems like Verizon or Meridian, rather than invent their own.In my engineering experience there are 2 common pitfalls in digital AM that are easily fixed and maybe construed as a product defect: memory fragmentation causing poor recording and failure to use a DSL line filter. I had these minor problems when I used my PC as an answering machine for a brief period. When memory fragments due to a glitch, either power down the machine or erase all the messages to realign memory. Alas, if the memory is truly defective and no allowance was made in the design to bypass faulty memory [such as in most flash or SD memory cards] the problem could be permanent. The DSL carrier signal on a landline is near the supersonic, but it will give very bad results if recorded on phone lines, especially with digital methods. Nearly all DSL providers give line filters which work well, use them on all phone lines.