USB Skype Phone

Saturday, October 28, 2006

With 113 million registered users Skype is one of the most used software in the world. Its success is due to cheap prices (sometimes it's even free) and the possibility to reach instantly friends and parents all over the globe.

When new users approach Skype for the first time one of the thing that they miss is the receiver. This happens because when it first came out Skype was intended to be used with a microphone and headphones.

Luckily some manufacturers are making available phones that ease the transition to Skype. The latest is the USB Skype Phone, distributed by ThinkGeek. The first impressive thing of this USB device is its price: only $24.99.

Another advantage over other phones is that you do not have to lose time configuring a wireless connection. You just plug the USB cable in the personal computer (it must run a Microsoft operating system, at least Windows 98SE) and you are set. The USB Skype Phone is compliant with the USB 2.0 standard.

Usually the USB cable length is not that much but the included cable is 2 meters long so, if you use Skype while working on your pc, this should not be a great problem.

Once the USB Skype Phone is connected, you just have to dial the desired number on the keypad or click on your friend name in the Skype contact list. The USB device is fully compatible with Skype and this means that you can also use the speed-dials you saved.

Then you can enjoy the conversation thanks to echo cancellation, noise reduction and full duplex communication. When it comes to receiving calls the USB Skype Phone also supports ring tones.

The USB phone has a LCD Display with backlight that displays information coming from the Skype client and supports several languages in addition to English (Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Korean).

In addition to being a very good product the USB Skype Phone also looks good externally. It comes in black or white, is slim (15.0 x 3.8 x 2.0cm) and is lightweight (only 101gm). Lastly you can order it directly on the ThinkGeek website.