Siemens SL100

A dead ringer for your mobile - at home

These days, you can pick up a digital cordless phone for little more than the loose change you find down the back of your sofa, so the premium models need to offer a little more than just crystal-clear calls.

This one comes crammed with the kind of goodies that separate the upper crust from the low end. It's got a colour screen, polyphonic ringtones, voice dialling and a loudspeaker - all in a case that looks so much like a mobile that you'd be sure it was the latest pay-as-you-go model.

We say pay-as-you-go because, next to your latest smart phone, it looks distinctly budget. The screen offers just three lines of text and fewer colours than a box of Crayolas, while its insubstantial weight makes it feel like a toy.

There's plenty more mobile phone influence than just the exterior. The grid-set menu icons are a direct lift. There's even text messaging (for which you'll need to pay BT a premium) and predictive typing (albeit a slightly primitive version). You can also hook up to a PC to edit the wallpaper, upload new ringtones and transfer contacts from Outlook, Lotus Notes or another Siemens mobile. The software's basic, but it works. Annoyingly, though, it only transfers surnames and there's no data cable supplied, so you'll need to buy one separately.

If you've got tons of numbers to transfer, this handset's probably worth the extra cash and a colour screen is always a bonus. Otherwise, you'll find there are worthwhile alternatives available for a lot less.