Let's hear it for VoIPBy: Australian IT, 2006-08-29 Viewed: 2436 times Printed: 97 times Emailed: 86 times
PHONE call options have never been so diverse. At work and at home, mobiles continue to impinge on the once sacred fixed landline space. And now, VoIP (voice over internet protocol) is bursting out of the headset and desktop computer model and appearing on funky, single purpose and hybrid handsets - as long as they are within coo-ee of a broadband internet connected computer, that is.We look at two new Philips models - the VoIP433 live messenger dual phone, which combines the capacities to chat in real time to your instant messenger buddies via VoIP, and to make and receive calls in DECT mode; and the Philips VoIP321, which works with Skype on the same DECT base. We also look at the Linksys Internet Telephony Kit (CIT200), which comes with everything you need to make and receive calls via Skype - including "Skype out" (calls from the internet to "real" phone numbers, mobile or fixed) courtesy of a 60-minute voucher. Philips VoIP433 Windows Live Messenger Dual Phone FOR those who haven't signed up for one of the better known VoIP services, a Philips dual-function phone, using both landlines and Windows Instant Messenger, is an intriguing and attractive idea. Simply put, this phone plugs into both your existing landline and your PC via the USB port and offers normal landline calls, but free calls via the net to any other Windows Live Messenger user. This VoIP-PSTN hybrid, then, should offer the best of both worlds and an easy entry for novices into the world of internet telephony. But just as this phone has a split personality, so this reviewer's attitude towards it is ambivalent. For a start, while it's easy enough to install, it is demanding in what resources it needs to do its dual jobs. Basically, it needs two free mains power outlets - one for the phone's hub (which also needs to be plugged into the PC's USB port) and one for the handset cradle/charger. On top of that, the hub also needs to be connected to the standard landline phone socket. When, like myself, you already have a home office making use of just about every available plug on the power board, and uses wireless broadband precisely to free it from having to be near a landline outlet, this puts some serious limitations on its use. Phone extension and power cords leading from other rooms sure made it work, but it's hardly an installation I would want to keep going indefinitely. Of course, one could dispense with the landline option and just use it for your Live Messenger calls, but that only frees up the need for the PSTN plug. If you're already on Live Messenger, installation is software-free and painless. Even if you aren't, don't use Live messenger, or an older version, it's hardly a difficult chore to install. The handset itself is aesthetically pleasing, has an easy to use interface (press one button to see which IM buddies are online to take your call) and is solidly built. Really, though, it all comes down to how many Live Messenger mates you have that want to talk to you regularly. If you have lots of such contacts, this phone probably makes great sense. If most of your calls are to non-online contacts, or a lot of your friends are already shifting to the likes of Skype, you'd probably be better making the full leap to VoIP. - Roland Tellzen SPECIFICATIONS Price: $159.95 Philips VoIP321 Skype THERE are three main points of difference between the Philips 321 and the Live Messenger model: it is $30 less expensive as instead of a colour screen it has a backlit keyboard and it places the calls over Skype. The white case and silver trim make it the cutest of the two, in my opinion. But like the Microsoft Live model, you will need two spare spots on the power board near the PC -- or one if you are going to base the handset away from the PC. The 321 is presented well as a consumer product. The box contents are laid out like a Japanese takeaway meal, all in little sections. There are a lot of cords and cables, but you will not be needing them all. In the box I got there was no modular phone jack, but most homes would probably have one lying around. I used the one from my normal handset. The instructions are clear, simple and easy to follow. However, about two-thirds of the way through, it tells you to charge the batteries for 24 hours. Bummer. My advice is to take it out of the box a day before you plan to set it up, a process that takes about half an hour, less if you have a Skype account. Once it is set up it is simple. Press the Skype button and it scrolls through your contacts. Hit the green send button and away you go. The handset roamed about 50m in an office full of electrical equipment and did not cut out until I was on the dark side of the elevator shafts. - Vincent Blake SPECIFICATIONS Price: $129.95 Linksys Internet Telephony Kit CIT200 NOW, this is the way all VoIP setups should go. In fact it's the way everything tech should go: a five-minute breeze to set up and begin to use, right out of the box. Perhaps I had an advantage because I'm no stranger to Skype, having the more typical desktop and headset setup at home. The quick setup guide also warned that the account might take an hour or so to affirm, but this was not the case, even though I opened a brand new account on a virtual virgin machine here at The Australian. The setup guide is brilliant - absolutely flawless and unambiguous. Follow it closely and you too will have VoIP cooking in no time. It's a good idea to be connected to the net via broadband before you begin. Then you insert the accompanying "setup wizard" CD and follow the prompts. In due course this will advise you to connect the base station via USB (this is connected wirelessly and automatically to the handset). Choose a Skype name for yourself - a password you won't forget - agree to a couple of licencing agreements and in seconds you'll be ready to phone the world via VoIP. Once the kit was installed and the handset charged (16 hours is recommended) I had some apprehension about whether the base station, handset and Skype program would work together in concert. But I needn't have feared. When you pick up the handset, there is seamless communication with the program. As with all Skype-out connections, it's important to do a long press on the plus key (or enter the 0011 international code) then enter the country and area code, then the number, even if you're calling someone in the next office. It's kind of heartening when it works, and the first 60 minutes or so of Skype-out are free. I found the voice quality solid over our trusty Telstra Bigpond connection, if slightly less clear than on a typical landline. And I assume, to paraphrase the old song, that I had travelled all around the world to talk to the journo at the next desk. - Ian Cuthbertson SPECIFICATIONS Price: $239.95 Conclusion WHILE the two hybrid devices from Philips have built in double applications, for ease of use, simplicity of set up, and straightforward VoIP out of the box, our gong this week goes to the Linksys CIT200.
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