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 Digital Journal TV: Got a Skype phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
It almost sounds too good to be true: using Skype without a PC, on the go. Belkin has answered the call by offering a Wi-Fi phone pre-loaded with Skype software. DigitalJournal TV gives you an overview of what’s hot and not about Belkin’s pet project.
Digital Journal — Skype is known for giving you the ability to make cheap phone calls through your PC. And we all know the mobile benefits of the everyday cellphone. Combine the two and you get the Belkin Skype Wi-Fi Phone, a useful handset for anyone who often phones friends or relatives overseas. As the DigitalJournal TV team discovered, using this Skype-enabled phone will let you make international calls for pennies per minute.
Similar in shape to the common candy-bar phone, the Wi-Fi Phone offers a nice grip to make calls, feeling a bit more rugged than other fancy cells. But its looks are secondary — this gadget is perfect for the road warrior calling internationally. Pre-loaded with Skype software, users connect wirelessly to a Wi-Fi hotspot (found in coffee shops, restaurants and some cities have city-wide coverage). It’s a simple process, considering how widespread Wi-Fi has become. You don’t need a PC or a Web browser.
The phone costs $179 USD (order from the U.S. or Canada) and a monthly subscriber fee of about $3 gives you unlimited calling.
Impressive voice quality, quick connections and an intuitive interface makes the Belkin phone a worthy contender in the bustling market of “world phones.” Is this phone right for your needs? Are you curious how Wi-Fi, Skype and a sleek handset can work together to give you a top-rated gadget?
Watch this episode of Digital Journal TV to learn more.
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How did this go? Hi Chris, meet my friend Chris. Hi Chris, Nice to meet you my name is Chris too?
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Who is the Good Chris and Bad one here :)
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@ Cat Lover
How did this go? Hi Chris, meet my friend Chris. Hi Chris, Nice to meet you my name is Chris too?
It was a lot of fun shooting this video. I am very cooperative with myself so it wasn't too much trouble. The gadget speaks for itself, too :) -
@ Chris V. (cgull)
Who is the Good Chris and Bad one here :)
That is my secret ;) -
Evil chris is one on the right who is slyly using holographs to present himself while he hides in his lair.
Very interesting about the phone, but I am not sure if I like the concept of relying on wi fi. From what I have experienced most places that host wifi make you pay which adds an additional cost in operating the phone.
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I heard Google is buying Skype, if it does they may make it cheaper to use and more features in it. I have to buy this and test it sometimes. I use to do this overseas conversation with Yahoo Messenger before. Vonage uses similar principle, the quality is not bad. Calling to Europe is 1 cents a minute, before AT&T used to charge a fortune for long distance.
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@ Samantha A. Torrence
Very interesting about the phone, but I am not sure if I like the concept of relying on wi fi. From what I have experienced most places that host wifi make you pay which adds an additional cost in operating the phone.
That's true, but it's also changing in some cities, little by little. The lure of Wi-Fi is incredible and many hotels now offer hotspots for free. Restaurants and coffee shops too. There are still more places that charge than those who don't, but hopefully it will become the norm to get free Wi-Fi in the near future. You can bring in a lot of business from people who want Internet access for their phones or laptops and smart businesses are recognizing that. -
@ Chris V. (cgull)
I heard Google is buying Skype, if it does they may make it cheaper to use and more features in it. I have to buy this and test it sometimes. I use to do this overseas conversation with Yahoo Messenger before. Vonage uses similar principle, the quality is not bad. Calling to Europe is 1 cents a minute, before AT&T used to charge a fortune for long distance.
Where did you hear that rumour cgull? Ebay owns Skype so they are considering selling? -
we cannot get wifi in our remote location. travel a few mi south or north and your gold but here, no dice.
neat stuff.
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Cool gadget, I just embedded your video myself. Chris, you are too cute having a conversation with yourself.
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Too funny! You did a really good job Chris!
This is some neat stuff...but I'm with KB...we're probably too rural for it to work here!
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@ Chris Hogg
Where did you hear that rumour cgull? Ebay owns Skype so they are considering selling? There were a few blogs, but Google didn't say much so I didn't add, here is one at Yahoo. It is not a good fit for Ebay, the owners got enough money, whereas with Google it will be a good fit with its Google Talk, GrandCentral phone services. It may add it to Android Mobile Operating system also. Google has lot of options. -
So if one was Schizophrenic, would that constitute a party gathering?
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Well done, Chris!
I agree that WiFi is a questionable option. I have been using the mobile network for several years now, and while it may not be the fastest, it is at least usually available.
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I've heard a few things about the phone. This is all second hand information. It has trouble with pay services. You can't have multiple skype accounts on the phone so you have to logout and login if you switch users. The battery only lasts for about an hour worth of conversation. The speaker doesn't sound great. It doesn't work in China because skype is blocked there. It doesn't have 911 service. I think the strength of the phone is replacing your home phone service. Wifi just isn't prevalent enough for it to replace a cell phone. You can still call 911 on your regular line even if you don't have service. I wouldn't replace your home service though if you don't have a cell phone.
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@ atroxodisse
I've heard a few things about the phone. This is all second hand information. It has trouble with pay services. You can't have multiple skype accounts on the phone so you have to logout and login if you switch users. The battery only lasts for about an hour worth of conversation. The speaker doesn't sound great. It doesn't work in China because skype is blocked there. It doesn't have 911 service. I think the strength of the phone is replacing your home phone service. Wifi just isn't prevalent enough for it to replace a cell phone. You can still call 911 on your regular line even if you don't have service. I wouldn't replace your home service though if you don't have a cell phone.
Indeed you wouldn't replace your phone with a gadget like this because of issues with 911 calling and reliability (if you lose power you lose your phone). But as a secondary phone you can save a lot of money on long distance calling and you can take it with you. We had no problem with speaker quality. -
Typical Gemini! Great report, albeit a little bit creepy.
Chris this looks very promising for urban dwellers but those of us who travel between urban and rural areas a lot or those of us who live in a rural area, it won't be the greatest. I'll stick to Skype when up north for now until they figure out a way of hooking this phone up to cell towers and totally piss off the phone companies.
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I just read a RSS feed about Google's alternative service.
This started a peripatetic search from wikiped, to skype.com, and back to this item!
Apparently Google bought Grand Central. This transaction happened last summer (02/07/2007). The Grand Central site is very "googlish" with beta stamp and the need for "invites". The Google "invite" system means: some people have them but you don't.
(My own take on google service introductions is that the service isn't going to work but it will slowly get better. Only people who can deal with a tentative service get to try it! This works much better PRwise than MSFT but the result is a similar initial user experience.)
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