Section 9.1. Skype and SIP-Friendly Cordless Phones


9.1. Skype and SIP-Friendly Cordless Phones

I've already discussed the value and perhaps necessity of cordless phones with phone-centric broadband phone providers like Vonage, but the Computer-centric crowd really needs the help. Millions of cordless phones fit the plug on a broadband phone router, but only recently have some been ready to plug into a computer.

As broadband phones continue to surge in popularity, keep an eye out for new phones. The manufacturers are retro-fitting existing phones quickly, and a new world of USB cordless headsets is on the way with enticingly low prices.

9.1.1. Olympia Cordless Phone with USB Plug

Enter Skype and a deal with Olympia, one of Europe's largest manufacturers. Figure 9-1 shows a photo and description of the new phone.

Figure 9-1. Works with Skype and traditional telephone lines


You can reach this screen from the Skype store web page, or go directly to www.dualphone.net. Shipping charges to locations outside the European Union may be high, because the first currency listed is the euro.

This really provides a great solution to the "tied to the computer" complaint about Skype. It also addresses the pain of multiple phones scattered around your desk. This phone plugs into both your computer with a USB connector and into the traditional telephone line plug you've always used.

There should be no confusion during use to cause a problem. When the phone rings, answer it. The call may be coming in over Skype or via your old-fashioned phone. But it all rings on the same phone.

When you dial out, your Skype contacts show up in the display, including the correct icon showing when they are online. To call a Skype contact, highlight that entry and press the call button. This feature means you don't have to go to the computer even to dial a contactwhich you must do if you use an adapter to connect a normal cordless phone. You are truly untethered with this phone.

To call using SkypeOut, dial the number just as you would from the computer. To dial using the traditional telephone line (for example, for local calls to avoid the SkypeOut fee), press the traditional telephone line button and dial.

One charger, two cords, no confusion. This doesn't yet work for Macintosh, but it does include Skype software and the needed utilities to communicate between Skype's application on your PC and the telephone.

Want to double your fun? This unit is expandable, and you can purchase up to four more handsets (www.telestore.dk/shop/default.asp). You can make a Skype call through one handset while someone else makes a traditional telephone call on another handset. That's flexible, and wireless.

The only other wireless Skype phone that comes close to the Olympia is a wireless USB headset from Plantronics. You can't dial out except at the computer, but this unit does accept calls from Skype or any other softphone. Figure 9-2 shows a good close-up.

Whether this cordless headset makes more sense than buying an adapter for an existing cordless headset is your decision. I can vouch that Plantronics makes just about the best headsets, although I haven't tested this one. Go to www.ahernstore.com for this unit and many other specialized phone products.

9.1.2. Adapters for Computer-Centric Softphones

Just as the phone-centric providers use a telephone adapter, so can the computer-centric providers. Linking standard telephonesor in this chapter, cordless phonesthrough an adapter to a computer via the USB port no longer classifies as a struggle.

There are Skype-specific adapters, as you can see in Figure 9-3, from a specialist phone product company at www.rapidvoip.com.

There are more generic USB to traditional telephone adapters, and the entire product line from all vendors gets smarter with each new version. On their web site (sipphone.com/callinone), SIPphone offers a Call-In-One adapter that handles SIP and traditional telephone calls (dial normally for traditional telephone calls and put a # before SIP numbers).

A company called Sysgration introduced their SkyGenie in early 2005it's an adapter that does exactly the same thing for Skype calls, except you put in ## (two number signs) before the Skype phone number

Figure 9-2. Tiny headset for softphone flexibility


(www.sysgration.com). A company named ActionTec (www.actiontec.com) has a nearly identical product. No doubt many of the huge telephone product companies are waiting for the small companies to prove the market before jumping in (if history continues to foretell the future).



Talk is Cheap
Talk is Not Cheap!: Saving the High Costs of Misunderstandings at Work and Home
ISBN: 1885167334
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 102

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