It seems to be a busy week for Skype phones coming to market. First, was my exclusive review of the Linksys CIT200 Skype phone and now as of Monday, USRobotics is offering a Skype-compatible phone. I should point out that this is an OEM'ed version of what appears to me to be the IPFones USB Skype phone that I reviewed a little while back. USRobotics confirmed it was indeed an OEM product, but they did not confirm if it was IPFones or not. But if it's not IPFones, then this a damn good copy!
One retails for $39.95 and the other $49.99. Hmmm, interesting...
They did say that they have plans to offer more advanced in-house developed VoIP products in the near future. I'll have to keep my eye on them.
Features include:
Here's the release that will go out on the wire later today.
USRobotics Ships Skype-compatible Phone
VoIP Calls Made as Simple as Traditional Calling with USB Handset
USRobotics, a leader in Internet access and networking known for quality, innovation and performance, announced the shipment of its USB Internet Phone, the USR9600.The phone, the first from the company's new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) product line, is designed to integrate seamlessly with the Skype Internet telephony application.
"The USB Phone is the first in a line of VoIP products we have planned for introduction before the holidays," says Rizwan Akbar, USRobotics' product manager."Our customers want VoIP calling to appear, feel, and sound like traditional calling without the costs associated with long distance charges and hardwired lines.The USB handset from USRobotics gives them just that."
The USB Internet Phone allows users to make free phone calls through the Skype application using their PC and Broadband Internet connection.The phone, a small handset similar in size to many cell phones, plugs into a USB 1.1 or 2.0 port to provide easy voice communications to any Skype user.The full featured LCD screen provides convenient access to call status and supports Caller ID, while the key pad allows users to place calls from a Skype phone book or to telephones anywhere with the SkypeOut subscription service.
The USB Internet Phone (USR9600) is designed to work primarily with the Skype application, but can be used with any other instant message platform with voice capabilities.Features like echo cancellation and noise reduction assure traditional telephone call quality for VoIP calls, providing users with an experience identical to traditional phone calling without the high fees.
The USR9600 sells for $49.99 and is available immediately at www.usr.com/talk.
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Our IPFONES IP-700m is sold at $ 39.95 but most important is our software which is the most important. The hardware is today made for many companies who are in many cases OEMing our cases from different manufacturers who do exact copies. But most important is the specialisation of IPFONES as a manufacturer of Skype IP Phones and nothing else and therefore we dedicate all our resources to give the customer a better skype experience rather than treating the product as an accessory. Customer service, support and most important software engineering is what's more important to IP telephony than even the device itself.