The Belkin Wi-Fi Phone for Skype works anywhere in the world through your secured or open access to a Wi-Fi network — without a computer. Any home, office, cafe, or municipal wireless access point that does not require browser-based authentication will do.
Pre-loaded with Skype software, the Belkin Wi-Fi Phone features the Skype interface, so it’s ready for use with any wireless network.
To make a call, simply use the on-screen color menu to locate your contacts and view their online availability – exactly as you use Skype today.
The Wi-Fi Phone adheres to all Skype requirements to ensure that your Wi-Fi experience is as great as making Skype calls on your computer.
The Belkin Wi-Fi Phone for Skype:
• Works just like your existing Skype account
• Connects to any secured- or open-access Wi-Fi network that does not require browser-based authentication
• Supports WEP, WPA, and WPA2 with PSK
The Belkin Wi-Fi Phone for Skype retails for US$179.99. More info here.
How it works here.
Related articles:
Ecamm’s Call Recorder records your Mac Skype phone calls – May 16, 2006
Skype for Mac now Universal – May 11, 2006
Ok, I will stick with my regular phone.
endlesselevation.com
This is the direction the iPod/iPhone should go. To hell with the carriers!!
WiFi is as prevalent today as cell coverage was 10 or 15 years ago. With city-wide broadband being rolled out in major cities it won’t be long before a majority of the country will have free, highspeed internet and thusly free VOiP!!
I already have a portable Skype phone. It’s my iBook. I just get strange looks in the airport lounge talking into it. But damn, it works and the price is right. Love those free calls.
Regarding the phone, I wonder what happens if Skype goes mams-up.
Skpe is:
1. Proprietary
2. Owned by eBay
I could live with the former if the overall experience was valuable. But because of abhor eBay, Pay Pal et al , I’ll pass.
It strikes me that there is such an “anti-succes” mentality amongst so many people these days. If anything is successful, it must be bad. If a company is big, it’s bad.
Google? Great when it started. Now Google big. Google bad. Never mind that the Google hasn’t changed in any real way for the worse.
Apple chooses big chip-maker Intel? Bad Apple. God forbid if Apple ever becomes “successful” or “big”.
MacMania above: “If the overall experience was valuable..” but “because of (sic) abhor eBay, Pay Pal, I’ll pass”
How does “abhorring” eBay & PayPal make your Skype experience less valuable?
I’m not trying to be “Mr. Corporate” here. I generally hate chain restaurants, fast-food, Wal-Mart, and many “big box” experiences. But I don’t judge the experience based on the size of the company – rather, based on the service, prices, and quality I get. Why do so many people just want to “stick it to the man?”
Not really a question, more rhetorical. Just sayin’.
I’m with loki capret on this, it’s the dirrection I’d like to see Apple go in.
iPod-iPhone-iChat all linked to a .Mac account
I want to see those telco giants go down!
I used to work at eBay in CS. They have no clue what to do with Skype yet… you’ll see random additions to the Skype service over the next year and a half. They paid too much for a userbase they are having trouble tapping into (getting money out of).
I’d look elsewhere for innovation because eBay has no track record of creating a functional system (other than their bloated forum style “listing” service)
Free tidbit, eBay just raised thier Store fees. They’re gonna go up again in January. Gotta love insider info…. mwahahaha.
And here I thought they had a master plan!
It’s true, eBay doesn’t really know how to do anything but TINKER with it until something clicks. Sometimes that counts as innovation, I guess.
They’ll find a use for Skype sooner or later. It’s quite the handy tool, and if they could get the user base past a critical mass and using it for IM, phone, and videoconferencing, they’d really have something. Someone’s going to eventually win the market, and they have a lot of tools in place.
They also need to get the Mac client compatible with the video – it’s not like the cameras aren’t built in to all new Macs – how hard can this be??
This phone sounds like an excellent idea, I hope it works as it should. I’m with the US military stationed in the UK, and the only phone we have is Skype. My wife is on the phone almost 3 hours a day calling home, and our phone bill is less than $8 (skype out). The only downside is that we need to run Windows because our excellent Linksys CIT200 only works with it. With this Belkin phone, we could finally bypass the OS and buy a Mac Mini.
We have become ferverent Skype fans. Yes, I do realize is Skype goes belly up that this phone will be a $180 lump. But, I don’t think that will happen. Too many people have come to rely on it. If eBay doesn’t figure it out, it should be sold to Yahoo or Google. Either way, it’s a good service.