This is essentially a wonderful product, let down only slightly by a few disappointments.
The best thing is the sound quality. As a normal handset this is way better than any DECT 'phone (Philips, BT) I have owned before, and the speakerphone feature is exceptional, too. It's also nicely made, in a way that makes it a real pleasure to use, and I expect it will probably last a good few years.
Now for the bad points:
Each 'phonebook entry consists of number, name and category. The category is useful because it can search the 'phonebook by category. But when you transfer the 'phonebook to another handset it copies ony the numbers and names, not the categories. So you have to go through them all to reassign the categories. If I had known this before I had punched in all my numbers I would not have bothered using categories at all (I have 4 handsets).
The display backlight stays on (not at the brightest, thank goodness) when on the charger. Just about every other feature is programmable, but the darned backlight has to be on when stood on the charger. When off the charger, it times out to darkness (to conserve battery power). So if you have one in the bedroom and have outgrown nightlights, you will find yourself taking the handset off the charger as you go to bed, and replacing it in the morning. Even the low backlight setting is way brighter than your average clock radio, for instance, and it will annoy some people.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that the support available from Panasonic is dismal. The support team are equipped with answers to a limited set of questions, and whatever reasonable question you ask, you just get the answer to one of the standard questions. Sadly this sort of problem isn't confined to Panasonic, increasingly it's normal. Maybe it's a measure of the respect I had for Panasonic that I expected better of them.
Also it is not fully compatible with the Plantronics C65 handset. Older Panasonic models are, so it's probably Panasonic that messed up here. See my review of the Plantronics C65 handset for more details, if you want to use a DECT cordless headset.
But contrary to the first report posted here, batteries for each handset are included. The excellent packaging has a map of where everything is, so it's clear there should be batteries, and there are. And they are a nice standard size (AAA NiMH) so you will easily find replacements when the time comes.