Why must a cordless phone be away from other electronic devices?

Hmm, I don't really see a big reason for that. Your computer cabinet will act (partly) as a faraday cage, and block out radio frequency. I've haid one motherboard that went haywire due to a mobile phone, but then the mobile phone was lying _on_ the motherboard, and I suspect the bios to have been corrupted. A cordless phone _on top_ of you PC could introduce noise on your monitor, this you'll have to test, but monitors don't take damage from a few minutes of low energy RF. Nor does a PC. Only thing is that the phone can get shorter range, since a pc might output RF. I suspect this is the reason, as it includes microwaves and such, wich don't take damage in any damn way from RF (they're pretty bad themself when coming to RF). Anyway, you won't destroy your pc, nor your phone by trying is my guess, but you might get worse quality and/or range. So, I'd go with it if you like having it there :)

It's mostly about corporate cheapness and CYA - Like any device not individually licensed by the FCC to use a particular frequency, "This device must not produce any interference, and must accept any interference it receives, even if the interference makes it malfunction" applies to a 900 MHz phone. Computers, TVs, and microwaves (and to a lesser but still significant extent) stereos and other gear can be HUGE producers of RFI - Especially in the case of computers, more than plenty to completely swamp the cheap-as-we-can-possibly-make-it front end on a typical home-grade cordless phone.

Phone makers don't want to spend more on shielding than they absolutely must, so they try to convince Joe User that their problems with interference are exactly that: their problems, and attempt to avoid any responsibility for either reducing the interference, or making the phone properly in the first place, by specifying that the phone may not be located anyplace where interference is even slightly likely to be generated.

If they could get away with "This phone must not be located within 10 miles of anything else that plugs in or uses batteries" without blowing themselves out of the water, they'd put that in the book, too. Since they can't, they settle for "away from all electronics" and the old standby "It ain't our fault you put it near an (unplugged, there purely for decoration) old blender on your kitchen counter" response to customer complaints about how poorly the phone works.

In theory, having the phone near the computer can cause trouble, mainly with the phone's reception. In practice, if it works for you, put it where you want it. If it doesn't work, find someplace else to put it where it DOES work.

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No it's most probably the other way around. The computer might cause problems for the phone eg swamping the radio reciever.

Computers, monitors, and microwave oven power supplies can radiate out a fair amount of radio frequency interference known as RFI. This is also the same for the clocking circuits, and digital signals being used in the boards. Most modern appliances and devices use some type of switching power supply, and digital processing systems of some type.

Even if an appliance or computer is well shielded to block the RFI to an acceptable amount, there is always some that is able to radiate out. The AC line cord, and interconnect wires can also act as a sort of antenna, even though they are electrically referenced to ground, and may have RFI traps. The harmonics from the frequencies generated are very high, and thus the shielding that is used for these devices is not fully adequate, or able to do its job perfectly. The standards must always allow for some leakage, or the appliances would not be affordable, or practical to manufacture on a mass basis.

As for your phone, the amount of RFI you can have from a home appliance, or computer, can be strong enough to cause interference. This can be the same for most other communication devices.

I have seen a two-way communications radio cause interference to a computer that was about 15 feet away. I have also seen computers cause interference to cordless phones, and to ordinary radios.

As for having damage to a cordless phone, it would have to be exposed to extremely strong radiation. This radiation would have to be so strong that it would be dangerous for a person to be near by to the radiation source. I would worry more about the cordless phone causing interference to the computer. This may cause corrupt data if anything at all.

With a cordless phone, both the handset and base are transmitter and receiver devices. They are both susceptible to receive, and or to transmit signals, that can cause interference to other devices.

The bottom line is that I would not be worried about a computer, microwave oven (unless the phone is put inside), or monitor, or TV set causing damage to your cordless phone.