Yes, it's your old phone.

I get about 30-40 minutes of talk time on one battery, and substantially less on the other. Since the battery power is so limited, and I haven't found a source for new batteries, charging without the cradle becomes even more important.

I appreciate the reply post, but considering that I haven't been able to use it in a practical way since receiving it from you, forgive me if I seem a little sharp. I don't blame you, but it's just the way it is.

I could not find a display brightness control, and there is no reference to one in the manual.