New iPhones from Linksys, One Just for Skypers

Last week I talked about Skype's new $30-a-year fee for those who call from a Skype phone to a landline. I compared Skype to other VoIP services and found that when it was "free," it was great but that Skype will have to compete harder against other compelling VoIP providers if it's going to charge money.

Consider it done. Linksys just made it a whole lot sweeter to be a Skype user by announcing that one of its new iPhones will be a Skype phone. (Read Chris Null's column on how the iPhone got its silly name.) The full name of the Skype version of the Linksys iPhone is the iPhone Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit for Skype ($179). The translation? It's a cordless phone that you'll be able to make a Skype call on without sitting by your PC, and it will be able to do most of the things that you do on Skype, including maintaining a phone book of callers. Skype calling will be as easy as voice calling; in fact, the phone switches between being a Skype phone and a traditional cordless phone.

The Linksys kit consists of a small base station that plugs into your broadband Internet connection. In addition, the base station has an RJ11 connector that connects it to your traditional wired phone lines.

The handset of the iPhone is similar to the handset of any modern cordless phone. It has a small display and navigation buttons that let you manage things, as well as a base (separate from the base station) that recharges it. The cordless phone base is separate from the base station so that you can put the cordless phone on your desk and the base station near your other network hardware. Like your other cordless phones, they just need to be close enough for cordless communication.

To make a Skype call with the Linksys phone, you first have to log into your Skype ID using the phone's menu system. This is a little tricky without a full keyboard but needs to be done only once because the phone will remember your login details. As soon as you sign into Skype, your contact list appears on the phone's menu; you can call one of your contacts by scrolling down and selecting it. This couldn't be easier, and the resulting call is clear (network load permitting). It felt great to be using a convenient cordless phone, not a headset tethered to my PC.

To make a SkypeOut call to a landline number, you simply enter the phone number. The phone then gives you an onscreen prompt asking you whether to use your phone network or SkypeOut. Again, this is true simplicity.

How does this play out in real life? For a local call or one where your wired costs would be negligible, simply use your standard phone network to place the call. The Skype phone is a very nice-sounding DECT phone, too. For a potentially expensive call, probably due to distance or duration, just pick the SkypeOut option.

Worth $179? If you're a heavy Skype user you'll quickly see the payback. My husband, who works with overseas partners and talks to them several times a day using Skype, is thrilled that he no longer needs to sit by his computer and wait for the phone to ring. For Skype users this phone is liberating.